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An  English  Cathedral  Journey 


J.  G.  Charlton,  Photographer,  Canterbury. 

CANTERBURY   CATHEDRAL  —  NORTH    SIDE,    WITH    CLOISTERS. 


An  English 
Cathedral  Journey 


BY 

KATE  F.   KIMBALL 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  PHOTOGRAPHS 


NEW   YORK 
THOMAS   Y.   CROWELL   COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1913, 
By  THOMAS  Y.  CROWELL  COMPANY. 


Published  March,  1913. 


DEDICATED    TO 

2?i2(f)op  31of)n  ^.  ©intent 

FRIEND  THROUGH  THE  YEARS 


PREFACE 

THE  several  chapters  of  this  book,  with 
the  exception  of  the  first,  were  origi- 
nally published  in  the  Chautauquan 
magazine  as  part  of  the  course  of  reading  for 
the  "English  Year"  of  the  Chautauqua  Honie 
Reading  Circle.  They  were  an  attempt  to 
give  something  of  the  atmosphere  of  the  Eng- 
lish cathedrals  to  people  who  might  never 
have  the  privilege  of  visiting  England,  and  to 
add  to  the  enjoyment  of  those  who  had  been 
or  might  be  travelers  to  some  of  these  famous 
shrines. 

Of  the  books  mentioned  in  the  Bibliog- 
raphy many  have  been  most  helpful,  and  to 
their  authors  the  writer  would  express  her 
sincere  gratitude,  particularly  to  Canon  S.  A. 
Barnett,  who  has  most  courteously  permitted 
the  use  of  the  very  clear  ground  plan  of  West- 
minster Abbey,  taken  from  his  "Walk 
through  Westminster  Abbey."  She  recalls 
with  pleasure  the  unfailing  courtesy  of  the 


PREFACE 

cathedral  vergers  and  the  many  privileges 
which  they  accorded  her.  Especially  would 
she  express  her  appreciation  to  Mr.  G.  Free- 
mantle  of  Salisbury,  and  to  his  daughter,  who 
kindly  provided  not  only  a  photograph,  but 
also  an  original  drawing  of  one  of  Salisbury's 
beautiful  consecration  crosses,  which  appears 
in  the  cover  design  of  this  book.  The  friendly 
cooperation  of  photographers  in  all  parts  of 
England  is  also  gratefully  recorded.  In  ven- 
turing to  put  these  chapters  into  the  hands  of 
a  wider  public,  the  author  would  express  her 
indebtedness  to  the  friends  who  have  taken  a 
generous  interest  in  the  work  and  offered 
helpful  criticisms. 


vm 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.   Some  Characteristics  of  Cathedral  Ar- 
chitecture IN  England 1 

II.  Canterbury 22 

III.  Rochester 53 

IV.  Lincoln 79 

V.  Durham .     .111 

VI.    Ely 140 

VII.   Salisbury 167 

VIII.   Lichfield 193 

IX.   York 219 

X.   Westminster  Abbey 245 

Notes  : 

Cathedral  Churches  of  England     ....   277 

Church  of  England :  Titles  of  the  Clergy  .      .   278 

The  Thirty-seven  Bishoprics  of  the  Church  of 

England 279 

Measurements  of  Nine  Churches     ....   280 

Architectural  Periods 281 

ix 


CONTENTS 
Selected  Bibliography: 

PAGE 

Books  on  Special  Cathedrals 283 

General  Works 287 

Glossary  : 

Architectural  Terms 289 

Ecclesiastical  Terms 294 

Index 297 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Canterbury  Cathedral,   North  Side     .    .    .     Frontispiece 

OPPOSITE  PAGE 

Map,  EngHsh  Cathedral  Cities 1 

Fig.      1. — Headbourne  Worthy  Church 2 

Fig.     2. — Norman  Stairway  in  Green  Court    ...  2 
Fig.      3. — Norman     Pier    Arcade,     Triforiinn,     and 

Clerestory,  Ely 4 

Figs.    4  and  5. — Norman  Capitals,  Lincoln  ....  6 

Fig.     6. — Norman  Pillars,  York 6 

Fig.      7. — Norman  Capitals,  Durham  Castle   Crypt  6 

Fig.      8. — Early  English  Capitals,  Lincoln  ....  11 

Fig.      9- — Curvilinear  Decorated  Gothic,  Lincoln    .  1 1 

Fig.    10. — Plate  Tracery  of  South  Transept,  York    .  11 

Fig.   11. — Lancet  Windows,  Lincoln  Cathedral     .    .  13 
Fig.    12. — Nave     of     Lichfield,     showing     Lancets 

Grouped 15 

Fig.   13. — Bar     Tracery P<^0^  15 

Fig.   14. — Curvilinear  Tracery       "  17 

Fig.    15. — Perpendicular  Tracery       "  18 

Fig.    16. — Ogee  Curves,  Lady  Chapel,  Ely  ...    .  18 

Fig.    17. — Mouldings  of  Early  English  Arches   .    .  18 

South  Door,  Canterbury  Cathedral 22 

Choir,  Canterbury  Cathedral 27 

Trinity  Chapel  and  Coronation  Chair,  Canterbury 

Cathedral 31 

xi 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

OPPOSITE  PAGE 

Plan  of  Canterbur}'^  Cathedral P^g^  "^8 

Nave,  looking  East,  Rochester  Cathedral 53 

Exterior,  Rochester  Cathedral 54! 

Norman  Triforium,  Rochester  Cathedral 54 

Choir,  Rochester  Cathedral 59 

Two  Entrances,  Rochester  Cathedral 60 

Plan  of  Rochester  Cathedral p(^9^  74 

West  Front,  Lincoln  Cathedral 79 

Lincoln  Cathedral  from  the  South 82 

East  End,   Lincoln   Cathedral 95 

Nave,   Lincoln   Cathedral 95 

Angel  Choir,  Lincoln  Cathedral 98 

Plan  of  Lincoln  Cathedral pcig^  106 

Durham  Cathedral  from  the  River Ill 

Nave,  looking  East,  Durham  Cathedral 117 

North  Side,   Durham   Cathedral 124 

Galilee  Chapel,  Durham  Cathedral 124 

In  the  Triforium,  Durham  Cathedral 133 

Plan  of  Durham  Cathedral poge  136 

Tower   and   Octagon,   Ely   Cathedral 140 

Nave,  looking  East,   Ely 146 

The  Presbytery,  Ely  Cathedral 159 

Ely  Cathedral  from  East  End 160 

Interior  of  Early  English  Porch,  Ely l60 

Plan  of  Ely  Cathedral page  162 

Salisbury  Cathedral,  North  Side 167 

Nave,    Salisbury    Cathedral 170 

Cloisters,  Salisbury  Cathedral 177 

Lady  Chapel,  Salisbury  Cathedral 177 

Salisbury  Cathedral  from  the  West 182 

Salisbury  Cathedral  from  the  Meadows 187 

xii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

OPPOSITE  PAGE 

Bishop's    Palace,    Salisbury 187 

Plan  of  Salisbury  Cathedral P^^^Q^   188 

West  Front,  Lichfield  Cathedral 199 

Nave,  Lichfield  Cathedral 202 

Interior  of  Lady  Chapel,  Lichfield  Cathedral  .  .210 
Exterior  of  Lady  Chapel,  Lichfield  Cathedral  .    .    .    213 

Plan  of  Lichfield  Cathedral P«5'^  214 

West   Front,    York    Cathedral 220 

Nave  of  York  Cathedral 223 

The  Five  Sisters,  York 228 

The  Five  Sisters — Exterior 228 

Lady  Chapel,  York  Cathedral 237 

Chapter  House,  York  Cathedral 237 

Plan  of  York  Cathedral pag^  240 

Nave  of  Westminster  Abbey,  looking  East,  showing 

Choir  and  Screen 245 

The    Chancel,  Westminster   Abbey 252 

Henry  VI I 's  Chapel — Stalls  of  Knights  of  the  Bath  260 
Tomb  of  Henry  VII — Edward  VI  beneath  Altar, 

Figure  of  Dean  Stanley  in  Chapel  on  right  .  260 
Henry    VI I' s    Chapel    and     East    End    of    Abbey, 

Chapter  House  on  Left 269 

Poets'   Corner — Chaucer's   Tomb  on   Left,   Spenser 

at  End,  Browning  and  Tennyson  in  Foreground  269 
Plan  of  Westminster  Abbey P«5'^  272 


xm 


ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    CITIES. 


An  English  Cathedral 
Journey 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  CATHEDRAL 
ARCHITECTURE  IN  ENGLAND 

IF  you  had  come  over  to  conquer  England 
in  the  year  1066  with  Wilhani  the  Nor- 
man, you  would  possibly  have  discovered 
that  Normandy  had  already  begun  its  con- 
quest of  England,  not  with  sword  and  battle 
ax,  but  with  its  massive  and  splendid  archi- 
tecture; for  the  last  hereditary  Saxon  King  of 
England,  Edward  the  Confessor,  during  his 
long  exile  in  Normandy  had  been  impressed 
with  the  dignit}^  of  the  vast  Norman  churches, 
and  when  he  returned  to  England  began  in 
1050  his  great  Abbey  of  Westminster.  Within 
the  next  century  more  than  one  hundred  great 
Norman  churches,  displacing  their  humbler 
Saxon  predecessors,  had  taken  possession  of 
English  soil. 

William  the  Conqueror  did  much  to  bring 
1 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

about  this  change  in  the  appearance  of  Eng- 
land, for  he  secured  his  firm  hold  on  the  coun- 
try by  establishing  Norman  feudal  lords  at 
every  strategic  point,  and  appointing  Norman 
bishops    over    every    diocese    except    that    of 
Worcester.     Many  of  these  Norman  bishops 
were   famous   builders.     They   were   familiar 
with  the  stately  churches  arising  in  their  own 
country,  and. England's  early  Saxon  monas- 
teries and  cathedrals,  to  which  the  people  had 
long  looked  for  light  amid  the  constant  rav- 
ages of  war,  rapidly  disappeared  under  the 
architectural     enthusiasm     of     the     Norman 
bishops  fresh  from  the  richer  civilization  of  the 
Continent.     But  it  was  true  also  that  the  rise 
of  these  great  Norman  cathedrals  often  meant 
the  ruin  and  displacement  of  scores  of  humble 
homes,  for  close  to  the  cathedral  rose  also  the 
bishop's   castle,   and   in   the   lawless   state   of 
things  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries, 
the  bishop's  castle  was  an  important  strong- 
hold.    Although  this  desolation  of  homes  was 
one  of  the  inevitable  tragedies  of  a  changing 
order,  there  were  some  compensations,  for  the 
building   of   a   castle,    and    even   more    of   a 
great    cathedral,    brought    together    a    small 
army  of  craftsmen.     From  all  over  England 

2 


wdOURNi:     AOR.r. 


Fig.  2.— NORMAN    STAIRWAY    IN    GREEN    COURT. 


CATHEDRAL    ARCHITECTURE 

and  Europe  came  masons,  carpenters,  glass 
and  metal  workers,  with  others  in  their  train. 
New  homes  sprang  up  and  each  had  a  vital 
personal  interest  in  the  growing  community, 
which  felt  the  stimulus  of  a  new  atmosphere. 
Castle  and  cathedral  were  in  still  other  ways 
linked  with  these  beginnings  of  England's 
civic  life,  for  the  widespread  interest  awakened 
by  the  early  Crusades  developed  alike  in 
feudal  lord  and  in  his  retainers  a  personal  loy- 
alty to  the  Church,  which  held  before  them  a 
high  standard  of  sacrifice  and  through  its  daily 
ministrations  encouraged  and  shared  their  de- 
votion. 

Hidden  away  under  present-day  cathedrals 
you  can  find  the  foundations  of  some  of  the 
earlier  Saxon  churches.  Very  diminutive  were 
these  old  Saxon  cathedrals  compared  with  the 
huge  structures  which  later  towered  above 
them.  Indeed,  England's  great  Norman 
churches  quite  out-distanced  the  largest 
churches  of  Normandy  and  even  of  France 
itself.  Cluny,  the  largest  twelfth-century 
church  of  western  Europe,  had  an  area  of 
only  54,000  square  feet  to  compare  with  Eng- 
land's Norman  Winchester,  with  65,000,  and 
Bury  St.  Edmunds'  68,000. 

3 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

The  churches  of  Normandy  which  became 
England's  model  for  more  than  a  hundred 
years  belonged  to  the  great  building  era 
known  as  Romanesque,  which  developed  with 
the  slow  emergence  of  Efurope  from  the  Dark 
Ages.  In  that  early,  shadowy  period  Roman- 
esque architecture  took  shape  in  Italy,  France, 
Germany,  and  England,  for  the  so-called 
Saxon  churches  in  England  at  tjie  time  of  the 
Norman  Conquest  were  really  Romanesque, 
but  of  a  primitive  type  which  had  already  died 
out  in  northern  France  before  the  Norman 
bishops  assisted  it  out  of  England.  Of  this 
primitive  Romanesque  type  in  England  one 
finds  few  surviving  churches,  and  they  are 
very  small  and  j^lain,  preserved  probably  be- 
cause of  their  insignificance ;  but  two  very  per- 
fect examples  can  be  seen  at  Escomb  near 
Durham,  in  northern  England,  and  in  the 
south  at  Bradford-on-Avon  in  Wiltshire.  An- 
other, slightly  altered,  is  at  Headbourne 
Worthy  near  Winchester.  These  churches 
are  not  cruciform  and  have  no  semicircular 
apse.  They  consist  simply  of  two  rectangular 
sections,  the  smaller  used  for  the  chancel  and 
the  larger  for  the  congregation.  In  Italy, 
northern  France,  and  Aquitaine,  whose  com- 

4* 


Fig.  3— NORMAN    PIER    ARCADE,    TRIFORIUM,    AND    CLERESTORY,    ELY. 


CATHEDRAL    ARCHITECTURE 

mon  Romance  tongue  naturally  crystallized 
into  different  national  forms  of  speech,  Primi- 
tive Romanesque  architecture  also  gradually 
took  on  characteristic  local  features,  and  it 
was  the  localized  Norman  Romanesque  of 
northern  France  which  imposed  itself  upon 
England. 

One  can  readily  understand  that  to  the 
English  people,  slowly  struggling  up  from 
the  barbarism  of  their  Saxon  and  Danish  an- 
cestry, the  immense  churches  erected  by  the 
Xorman  bishops  were  plain  evidence  of  the 
tight  grip  of  their  conquerors;  yet  the  un- 
dreamed-of magnificence  of  these  new  church 
interiors,  with  their  sumptuous  fiu'nishings 
and  rich  stained  glass,  must  have  awakened 
also  some  dim  conception  of  the  larger  ideas 
and  richer  civilization  of  the  Continent. 

The  Norman  churches  were  built  in  the 
form  of  a  Latin  cross.  How  this  particular 
form  came  into  use,  scholarly  research  has  not 
yet  enabled  us  to  decide  with  absolute  cer- 
tainty. It  may  have  come  originally  from  the 
basilica  or  Roman  law  court,  a  rectangular 
building  with  a  central  hall  separated  from 
side  wings  by  rows  of  columns,  and  at  the 
end  a  semicircular  apse  where  stood  an  altar 

5 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

for  the  administration  of  oaths.  Many  of 
these  existed  during  the  late  Roman  Empire. 
But  we  must  remember  that  for  centuries 
before  the  time  of  Constantine,  the  Christians 
worshiped  in  great  obscurity,  often  in  private 
houses,  and  quite  possibly  in  the  scholse,  halls 
erected  for  lodge  meetings,  funeral  observ- 
ances, or  a  variety  of  other  needs.  At  all 
events,  as  the  chin-ch  ceremonial  grew  more 
elaborate  the  addition  of  a  transept  to  the 
long,  narrow  hall  would  be  quite  natural 
either  to  meet  an  architectural  need  or  pos- 
sibly as  a  matter  of  religious  sentiment. 
Whatever  the  cause,  the  cruciform  shape 
was  so  eminently  appropriate  that  religious 
feeling  has  naturally  perpetuated  it.  These 
cross-shaped  churches  were  always  placed 
with  the  head  of  the  cross  toward  the  east,  the 
chief  entrance  being  at  the  western  end. 

If  you  go  into  a  great  Norman  church  like 
Durham,  you  will  see  that  it  has  certain  dis- 
tinct features. 

TJie  Nave  forms  the  long  end  of  the  cross. 
It  is  subdivided  by  two  rows  of  heavj^  cylin- 
drical or  other  piers  running  lengthwise,  with 
a  narrow  aisle  on  each  side.  These  piers  form 
the  supports  for  great  arches  which  carry  the 

6 


S.  Smith,  Minister  Book  Shop,  Lincoln. 

Figs.  4  and  5.— NORMAN    CAPITALS,    LINCOLN. 


F.  Frith  &  Co.,  Ltd. 
Fig.  6.— NORMAN    PILLARS,    YORK. 


Fig.  7.— NORMAN    CAPITALS, 
DURHAM  CASTLE  CRYPT, 


CATHEDRAL    ARCHITECTURE 

heavy  wall  above  them.  This  feature  is 
known  as  the  pier  arcade. 

The  Triforium:  The  aisles  are  much  lower 
than  the  rest  of  the  nave.  They  are  roofed 
with  stone  vaults,  and  between  these  stone  ceil- 
ings and  the  outer  sloping  roof  is  an  open 
space  or  gallery  called  the  triforium.  It  looks 
into  the  nave  through  a  row  of  smaller  arches 
just  above  the  pier  arcade.  It  was  sometimes 
known  as  the  blindstory,  though  in  many  in- 
stances windows  were  inserted  in  its  outer 
wall. 

The  Clerestory :  The  wall  of  the  nave  ex- 
tends above  the  triforium  arches,  and  the  win- 
dows with  which  it  is  filled  have  given  it  by 
contrast  the  name  of  clerestory. 

The  three  chief  vertical  divisions  of  the 
church  you  thus  find  are  the  pier  arcade,  the 
triforium,  and  the  clerestory   (Fig.  3). 

The  Roof:  The  Normans  rarely  at- 
tempted to  vault  very  wide  spaces  with  stone. 
Durham's  magnificent  nave  is  an  exception. 
The  naves  were  us'ually  covered  with  sharp- 
peaked  wooden  roofs,  beneath  which  was  a  flat 
wooden  ceiling.  The  architects  relied  upon 
the  great  weiglit  of  their  masonry,  rather  than 
upon  buttresses,  to  give  it  stability.     Hence 

7 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

the  walls  were  enormously  thick,  and  plain, 
heavy  -buttresses  built  flat  against  them  on  the 
outside  helped  to  resist  the  pressure  of  the 
stone  vaults  of  the  aisles.  The  walls  of  Dur- 
ham's choir  aisles  had  an  average  thickness  of 
seven  feet. 

The  Transepts  were  frequently  without 
aisles.  This  is  noticeable  at  Canterbury, 
where  the  present  narrow  transepts  stand  on 
the  original  Norman  foundations.  One  aisle 
on  the  eastern  side,  as  at  Durham,  was  not 
uncommon.  Ely's  two  aisles  were  a  most  un- 
usual extravagance.     (Plan,  page  162.) 

The  Choir  and  Crossing:  The  east  end  of 
the  church,  known  as  the  choir,  was  much 
shorter  than  in  the  later  Gothic  period  in 
England.  The  choir  usually  had  aisles  and 
terminated  sometimes  in  a  single  semicircular 
apse,  or  the  aisles  continued  around  the  east 
end  (ambulatory)  and  the  end  was  finished 
with  three  or  more  apsidal  chapels.  This 
short  east  end  in  monastic  churches  did  not 
accommodate  the  members  of  the  choir.  They 
sat  in  the  Crossing  beneath  the  great  central 
tower  and  in  the  adjoining  bays  of  the  nave. 
This  is  the  case  in  Westminster  Abbey  to- 
day. (Plan,  page  272.) 

8 


CATHEDRAL    ARCHITECTURE 

Early  Norman  work  was  rude.  The  joints 
of  the  masonry  were  very  wide  and  the  cement 
often  of  poor  quahty,  resulting  in  the  down- 
fall of  great  towers  like  those  of  Ely  and  Win- 
chester. The  round  arch  was  the  prevailing 
form,  at  first  very  plain,  with  flat,  sharp 
edges.  The  piers  supporting  these  great 
arches  were  without  ornament  and  their  capi- 
tals cut  with  an  ax,  but  in  the  hands  of  a 
French  mason  the  ax  was  a  more  flexible 
implement  than  its  name  would  suggest. 

Capitals:  There  were  two  prevailing  types 
of  Norman  capital:  one  was  shaped  like  a 
hemisphere  (Fig.  3)  with  a  section  cut  off  on 
each  of  its  four  sides,  forming  a  flat-topped 
cushion  on  which  rested  the  square  block  or 
abacus  which  held  the  arch  above  it.  The 
other  had  its  four  sides  decorated  with  a  leaf 
or  figure  ornament  and  at  its  four  corners 
four  volutes  or  rude  spirals  (Fig.  7).  These 
two  types  of  capital  have  been  called  faint 
survivals  of  the  Doric  and  Ionic  of  old  Greece. 

Later  Norman:  After  the  return  of  the 
first  crusaders  the  quality  of  the  Xorman 
mason's  art  improved.  Skilled  craftsmen 
brought  back  from  the  East  new  ideas  of  the 
perfection  of  classic  architecture,  and  the  later 

9 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

Norman  work  is  in  many  cases  extraordina- 
rily rich  and  beautiful.  The  results  of  more 
skillful  workmanship  appeared  both  in  the 
fine  jointing  of  the  stones  and  in  the  increase 
of  ornament.  When  Durham  was  built  the 
ffreat  nave  arches  were  recessed  ^  and  deco- 
rated  with  moldings.  The  capitals  of  Lin- 
coln's w^estern  doorway  and  of  Rochester's 
piers  were  given  a  beautiful  scalloped  form, 
and  Lincoln's  west  door  also  displayed 
foliage  very  similar  to  classic  Corinthian 
(Figs.  4  and  5).  The  cylindrical  piers  them- 
selves (York's  crypt  and  Durham's  nave) 
(Fig.  6)  were  carved  with  the  older  patterns 
of  lozenge,  spiral,  and  zigzag;  smaller  col- 
umns (Canterbury's  crypt)  showed  spiral 
and  other  forms;  while  the  shafts  of  door- 
ways introduced  figure  designs,  medallions, 
and  other  devices.  The  doorways  were 
more  deeply  recessed  than  in  the  early  Nor- 
man period.  The  execution  of  all  these  de- 
signs, with  their  deep,  clean-cut  effects, 
showed  that  the  ax  had  given  place  to  the 
chisel. 

Transitional:     Just    as    Norman    Roman- 


*  Divided  into  two  or  more  portions,  receding  one  behind  the 
other. 

10 


S.  Snutli,  I.nicoln. 
Fig.  8.— EARLY  ENGLISH   CAPITALS, 
LINCOLN. 


F.  Frith  &  Co.,  Ltd. 
Fig.  9— CURVILINEAR  DECORATED 
GOTHIC,    LINCOLN. 


Copyright,  1  hutcx  hrome  Co.,  Ltd.,  Londoi). 

Fig.  10.— PLATE  TRACERY   OF   SOUTH    TRANSEPT,    YORK. 


CATHEDRAL    ARCHITECTURE 

esque  had  driven  out  England's  primitive 
Saxon  variety,  so  the  Pointed  Arch  called  a 
halt  upon  the  splendid  Norman  minsters. 
There  were  signs  of  its  coming.  It  crept  into 
Norman  designs  before  the  twelfth  century 
was  over.  Canterbury  used  it  freely  in  her  new 
choir.  Durham,  too,  gave  a  hint  of  the  com- 
ing change.  She  built  her  a  charming  Galilee 
Chapel  (opposite  page  124),  filled  with  Nor- 
man ornament  and  round  arches,  to  be  sure, 
but  so  bewitchingly  light  and  graceful  that  it 
seemed  to  disclaim  all  relationship  with  the 
ponderous  cathedral  to  which  it  belonged.  It 
was  not  strange  that  this  should  be;  you  will 
recall  that  the  thirteenth  century  was  one  of 
the  great  periods  of  the  awakening  of  the 
human  mind.  In  England  it  was  the  age  of 
Magna  Charta,  of  parliaments,  universities, 
town  guilds,  and  of  growing  intercourse  with 
Continental  cities.  There  was  a  new  note  of 
liberty  and  aspiration  in  human  affairs,  and  it 
was  inevitable  that  England's  art  in  its  high- 
est expression  should  reflect  it.  Durham  Ca- 
thedral was  one  of  the  earliest  leaders.  Before 
1135  its  architect  boldly  experimented  with 
great  pointed  arches  for  the  huge  nave,  and  be- 
cause of  them  dared  to  venture  upon  a  stone- 

11 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

vaulted  roof.  Nevertheless,  the  great  church 
remained  sturdily  Romanesque  in  all  its  de- 
tails, for  as  yet  no  one  in  England  had 
equii^ped  the  pointed  arch  with  the  mold- 
ings, capitals,  shafts,  windows,  etc.,  suited  to 
its  aspiring  temperament.  It  was  Lincoln 
Cathedral  which  paved  the  way  in  1192-1200. 

Early  English  Gothic:  1190-1245  (Rich- 
ard I  to  Henry  III).  The  pointed  arch 
solved  the  chief  problem  of  the  cathedral  archi- 
tect,—how  to  protect  the  nave  of  a  great 
church  with  a  stone  vault.  The  rigid  round 
arch  was  practicable  for  roofing  limited  spaces 
only,  but  its  attitude  was  "so  far  and  no 
farther."  With  the  pointed  arch  and  its  mar- 
velous flexibility  the  architect's  imagination 
was  set  free.  He  could  construct  a  frame- 
work as  lofty  as  he  chose,  brace  it  with  but- 
tresses and  flying  buttresses,  and  rest  his  stone 
roof  upon  it  all  with  perfect  security.  It  was 
but  a  step  from  this  point  to  the  glorious  win- 
dows which  were  to  become  the  supreme  ex- 
pression of  Gothic  beauty.  No  longer  de- 
pendent entirely  upon  great  masses  of  ma- 
sonry. Early  English  Gothic  took  on  lighter 
forms  than  the  Romanesque. 

Solid  cylindrical  piers  gave  way  to  clus- 
12 


From  Sharpe's  "Seven  Periods.  " 

Fig.  II.— LANCET  WINDOWS,    LINCOLN    CATHEDRAL. 


CATHEDRAL    ARCHITECTURE 

tered  shafts,  dark  marble  being  interspersed 
with  native  stone,  all  gathered  under  one  capi- 
tal (Fig.  8)  and  bound  together  with  narrow 
bands.  The  great  arches  were  pointed  and 
adorned  with  deep-cut  moldings  (Fig.  17). 

The  abacus  or  upper  block  of  the  capital  on 
which  the  ends  of  the  arches  rested  was 
changed  from  the  heavy,  square  block  of  the 
Norman  to  a  rounded  form  reduced  in  thick- 
ness. 

The  characteristic  Xorman  ornaments  dis- 
appeared in  favor  of  the  violette  or  dog- 
tooth,^ and  the  bell-shaped  capitals  of  col- 
umns large  and  small  were  delicately  carved 
with  stiff-leaved  foliage  rising  from  slender 
stalks  (Figs.  8  and  17).  Rigidity  of  ornament 
was  displaced  by  the  freedom  of  living  forms. 

The  pointed  arch  showed  itself  also  in  the 
shape  of  the  windows,  which  took  their  name 
from  an  evident  resemblance  to  a  surgeon's 
lancet  (Fig.  11).  These  beautiful  windows 
ranged  in  size  from  a  few  feet  (see  illustra- 
tion facing  page  167)  to  the  great  lancets  of 


'  The  origin  of  the  dog-tooth  is  obscure.  Its  ancestry  has 
been  traced  to  the  Norman  nail-head  molding  or  to  the  chevron 
cut  into  sections.  Some  who  incline  to  leaf  forms  have  traced 
it  to  the  grouped  leaves  of  the  laurel,  which  it  strikingly  sug- 
gests.    The  French  call  it  violette. 

13 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

York  (opposite  page  228)  more  than  fifty 
feet  high.  Their  exquisite  forms  gave  an  ap- 
pearance of  great  refinement  to  Early  Eng- 
lish Gothic. 

When  used  in  the  small  arches  of  the  tri- 
forium  the  pointed  arch  was  accompanied 
by  circles,  trefoils,  qnartrefoils,  etc.  (Fig.  10), 
cut  in  the  blank  wall  spaces  above.  This  was 
known  as  plate  tracery. 

In  this  Early  English  period  all  the  mold- 
ings of  the  arches,  and  the  carving  generally, 
were  cut  very  deep,  casting  bold  shadows 
which  greatly  heightened  the  decorative  effect. 

Geometrical  Decorated  Gothic:  1245- 
1315  (Henry  III,  Edwards  I  and  II).  For 
more  than  fifty  years  Early  English,  or  the 
lancet  period  of  Gothic,  held  its  own ;  then  the 
desire  for  larger  windows  led  to  the  combina- 
tion of  several  lancets  under  a  single  arch, 
with  circles  or  other  openings  above  (Fig.  12) . 
The  slender  curved  bars  of  stonework  needed 
to  bring  about  these  combinations  of  windows 
became  known  as  bar  tracery,  to  distinguish 
it  from  the  plate  tracery  of  Romanesque  and 
Early  English  times,  which  required  large 
slabs  of  stone  and  was  quite  impracticable 
for  the  growing  windows   (Fig.  13).     From 

14 


From  Sharpe's  "Seven  Periods." 
Fig.  12.  — NAVE  OF   LICHFIELD,    SHOWING    LANCETS   GROUPED 


CATHEDRAL    ARCHITECTURE 

this  device  it  was  a  natural  transition  to  the 
evolution  of  immense  windows,  as  seen  at  Lin- 
coln.    This  j)articular  form  became  known  as 


FIG.    13.— BAR    TRACERY    IN    GEOMETRICAL 
WINDOW. 

Geometrical  Decorated  Gothic,  to  distinguish 
it  from  the  next  stage  of  window  develop- 
ment, in  which  the  geometrical  forms  grad- 
ually disappeared  and  curvilinear  tracery  took 
their  place. 

This  Geometrical  period  gave  to  England 
one  of  her  most  magnificent  churches,  that  of 
Westminster  Abbej^  begun  by  Henry  III  in 
1245.  It  shows  in  many  respects  how  strong- 
ly French  artistic  influences  were  being  felt  in 
England,  Lender  Henry's  son,  Edward  I, 
came  further  developments.    Venetian  galleys 

15 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

found  their  way  to  England,  Florentine  trad- 
ers settled  in  her  Southern  ports,  and  many 
an  Italian  craftsman  found  use  for  his  skill 
in  the  ambitions  of  both  noble  and  bishop  for 
great  cathedrals.  All  these  influences  helped 
the  standard  of  artistic  work  among  English 
craftsmen.  With  the  enlarging  of  the  win- 
dows there  came  other  changes.  Decoration 
was  used  more  profusely.  The  stiff-leaved 
stalks  of  the  Early  English  capitals,  some  of 
them  wonderfully  fine  in  execution,  gave  way 
to  a  more  natural  type  of  foliage  massed 
around  the  capital.  The  dog-tooth  ornament 
gradually  disappeared  and  the  ball  flower 
ornament  became  the  typical  decoration.  The 
deep-cut  moldings  of  the  Early  English  pe- 
riod also  became  shallower;  but  each  of  these 
significant  changes  came  in  gradually,  so  that 
the  later  and  earlier  forms  are  frequently  seen 
side  by  side.  All  the  work  of  this  time  was 
characterized  by  great  elegance.  Details 
were  carved  with  artistic  feeling  and  the  ut- 
most skill.  The  period  represents  the  high- 
water  mark  of  the  English  stone  workers' 
achievement. 

Cwvilineai'  Decorated  Gothic:     1315-1360 
(Edward  II  and  Edward  III).     This  latter 

16 


CATHEDRAL    ARCHITECTURE 

part  of  the  Decorated  period  takes  its  name 
from  the  curvilinear  effects  which  became  very 
prominent.  Its  most  characteristic  feature  is 
the  ogee  or  double  curve,  which  wrought  the 
window  tracery  (Figs.  9  and  14)  in  peculiarly 


FIG.    14.— CURVILINEAR    TRACERY. 

graceful  forms  and  varied  designs  and  was 
used  very  extensively  also  for  small  arches  and 
other  details  (Fig.  16).  The  whole  period  of 
Decorated  Gothic,  both  Geometrical  and  Cur- 
vilinear, gave  to  England  some  of  her  loveli- 
est Gothic  buildings.  In  its  later  forms 
it  sometimes  tended  to  be  overexuberant 
and  lacked  the  simplicity  and  restraint  of  the 
earlier  time,  but  on  the  whole  the  work  is  very 
noble  and  beautiful. 

Perpendicular  Gothic:     1360-1550    (Rich- 
17 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

ard  II  to  Henry  VIII).  The  last  stage  of 
English  Gothic  was  peculiar  to  England  alone. 
It  is  known  as  Perpendicular  from  its  prevail- 
ing tendency.  England  had  passed  from  the 
simplicity  of  her  early  struggles  for  liberty 


FIG.    15.— PERPENDICULAR   TRACERY. 

into  a  fully  developed  national  life.  Evidence 
of  her  increased  wealth  and  ambition  was  not 
far  to  seek.  One  of  the  most  striking  features 
of  the  Perpendicular  style  was  the  fan-vaulted 
roof.  The  famous  chapels  of  King's  College 
at  Cambridge,  Henry  VII  at  Westminster, 
and  St.  George  at  Windsor,  show  that  Eng- 
lish Gothic  was  no  longer  the  simple,  strong 
art  of  an  earlier  time,  but  lavish  and  extrava- 
gant, though  with  much  beauty  of  detail.  The 
change  in  window  tracery  makes  very  plain 

18 


CATHEDRAL    ARCHITECTURE 

the  use  of  the  term  Perpendicular  (Fig.  15). 
The  curvihnear  tracery  of  the  last  part  of  the 
Decorated  Period  was  superseded  by  straight 
lines.  In  many  cases  the  straight  stone 
mullions  ran  to  the  very  top  of  the  window, 
and  the  general  effect  of  vertical  lines  is 
extremely  marked.  A  new  shape  of  window 
arch  became  commonly  known  as  the  four- 
centered  arch.  Strongly  marked  horizontal 
lines  are  also  noticeable  both  in  window 
tracery  and  in  the  extensive  paneling  which  is 
very  conspicuous  as  a  leading  form  of  decora- 
tion. (See  Henry  VII's  Chaj)el,  opposite 
page  269.)  Capitals  at  this  time  were  often 
small  and  inconspicuous  without  carving.  The 
ogee  arch  used  in  the  Decorated  Period  was 
still  a  prominent  feature,  and  the  Tudor  rose 
became  a  characteristic  ornament. 

English  and  French  Gothic:  If  you 
should  cross  the  Channel  into  France,  you 
would  at  once  realize  how  very  different  Eng- 
lish Gothic  churches  are  from  those  of  the 
Continent.  In  France  the  architects  in  a 
passion  of  constructive  enthusiasm  carried 
their  soaring  Gothic  roofs  to  an  immense 
height.  Windows  increased  till  they  became 
literally  walls  of  glass,  and  the  flying  but- 

19 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

tresses  which  secured  the  perfect  poise  of  the 
building  often  surrounded  the  church  Hke  a 
great  stone  framework.  It  has  been  called 
"structure  of  maximum  tension."  Wonderful 
are  these  mighty  French  creations. 

England  never  developed  her  Gothic  to  the 
same  extreme.  Her  tallest  church,  Westmin- 
ster Abbey,  is  slightlj^  over  a  hundred  feet  in 
height,  but  the  great  length  of  the  English 
choirs  strikes  every  observer.  Often  these 
have  been  so  extended  as  to  leave  the  main 
transepts  midway  of  the  building.  The 
square  east  end  became  a  favorite  form  of 
English  Gothic,  strikingly  different  from  the 
curving  French  chevet.  Nor  has  the  flying 
buttress  been  so  extensively  employed  in  Eng- 
land as  in  France.  English  cathedrals,  sur- 
rounded as  they  frequently  are  with  their 
broad,  beautiful  lawns,  have  a  restful  atmos- 
phere in  contrast  with  those  of  France,  which 
are  usually  taller,  more  complex,  and  often 
placed  in  the  heart  of  a  busy  town. 

A  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  English  and 
French  writers  vied  with  each  other  in  ex- 
travagant claims  for  the  birth  of  "true  Gothic" 
each  in  his  own  country.  Later  writers  have 
happily    shown    a    growing    tolerance.      The 

20 


CATHEDRAL    ARCHITECTURE 

aspiring  qualities  of  Gothic  architecture  have 
been  illustrated  by  superb  works  of  art  in  both 
England  and  France,  each  modified  by  the 
native  taste  of  its  own  country. 

Romanesque  architecture  represented  im- 
maturity. It  relied  upon  the  obvious  material 
powers  of  weight  and  mass.  Gothic  laid  hold 
of  the  invisible,  the  careful,  accurate  balance 
of  mighty  forces  tending  to  produce  perfect 
poise.     Its  keynote  was  aspiration. 

"Properly  speaking,  Gothic  art  had  no 
birth.  The  spirit  of  Gothic  was  but  the  com- 
ing of  age  of  Romanesque." 


21 


II 

CANTERBURY 

YOU  are  making  your  first  visit  to  Can- 
terbury, and  instead  of  entering  the 
town  by  the  prosaic  method  of  the  rail- 
way, you  are  coming  in  by  the  famous  old 
Pilgrims'  way,  the  road  from  London  over 
which  Chaucer's  Canterbury  Pilgrims  trav- 
eled, 

''The  holy  blisful  martir  for  to  seke." 

About  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Canterbury  lies 
the  little  village  of  Harbledown,  in  the  quaint 
language  of  Chaucer's  day 

"a  litel  toun 
Which  that  y-cleped  is  Bob-up-and-doun 
Under  the  Blee,    in  Caunterbury  weye. " 

The  road,  true  to  its  name,  drops  into  a  valley 
just  before  you  reach  the  village,  then  rises 
sharply,  and  as  you  come  over  the  crest  of  the 
hill  you  get  your  first  view  of  Canterbury  and 

22 


CANTERBURY 

its  noble  Cathedral,  the  Mother  Church  not 
only  of  England,  but  of  countless  English- 
speaking  peoples  the  world  over.  Canterbury 
lies  in  a  hollow  encircled  by  low  hills,  and  the 
red  roofs  of  the  picturesque  old  town  make  a 
rich  setting  for  the  soft  gray  stone  of  the 
Cathedral  which  towers  above  them.  You  can 
imagine  what  this  glimpse  of  the  sacred  city 
meant  to  the  Canterbury  Pilgrims,  though 
the  building  which  you  see  is  far  goodlier  than 
that  which  they  beheld  with  its  glittering 
Angel  Steeple.  The  old  steeple  is  gone  and 
instead  rises  the  majestic  central  tower,  the 
most  perfect  Gothic  structure  in  England,  its 
fine  buttresses  running  from  base  to  pinnacle 
without  a  break.  The  two  lower  western  tow- 
ers in  the  foreground  are  quite  different  in 
form  from  their  peerless  companion  and  seem 
to  emphasize  its  faultless  proportions. 

It  was  at  this  point  that  Henry  II,  in  1174, 
on  his  way  to  humiliate  himself  at  the  shrine  of 
Becket,  dismounted  from  his  horse  and  walked 
some  distance  to  the  church  of  St.  Dunstan, 
where  he  changed  his  ordinary  dress  for  the 
garb  of  a  penitent  and  from  there  traveled 
barefoot  into  the  town.  As  you  approach  the 
city,  you  are  confronted  with  the  huge  bulk 

23 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

of  the  old  West  Gate,  for  Canterbury  was  a 
walled  city  back  in  prehistoric  times.  The 
West  Gate  has  a  pedigree  not  to  be  lightly  re- 
garded. Repaired  in  Roman  times  and  re- 
built again  in  1380,  it  has  frowned  down  upon 
Roman  and  Saxon,  Dane  and  Englishman. 
Its  earliest  written  record  tells  of  the  mighty 
procession  accompanying  Canute,  the  Dane, 
who  brought  back  the  body  of  the  martyred 
Archbishop  Alphege  to  the  Cathedral  from 
which  viking  hands  had  torn  him.  The  royal 
visitor  left  his  crown  of  gold  at  the  high  altar 
to  atone  for  the  sins  of  his  lawless  subjects. 
Coming  down  High  Street  from  the  West 
Gate,  you  turn  into  little  old  narrow  Mercery 
Lane,  and  as  you  glance  ahead  you  see  one  of 
the  most  artistic  bits  of  old  Canterbury.  At 
the  end  of  the  narrow  lane  rises  the  beautiful 
gateway  leading  into  the  Cathedral  precincts. 
It  has  stood  there  since  1517,  and  its  grim 
Norman  predecessor  stood  for  centuries  be- 
fore it.  The  gateway  could  tell  many  a  tale 
of  pageants,  for  the  history  of  Canterbury  is 
the  story  of  the  making  of  England,  an,d  her 
ancient  shrines  and  powerful  archbishops 
wielded  an  enormous  influence  from  British 
times  to  the  Reformation. 

24i 


CANTERBURY 

Before  you  enter  the  gateway  5^ou  must 
make  a  short  excursion  to  get  the  best  possible 
historic  setting  for  your  visit  to  the  Cathedral, 
first  to  the  tiny  church  of  St.  Martin,  the  old- 
est church  in  England,  on  the  site  of  the  chapel 
where  St.  Augustine  in  597  baptized  his  first 
English  convert,  the  Saxon  King  Ethelbert. 
The  King,  you  w411  remember,  was  a  little 
suspicious  of  the  new  religion  and  stipulated 
that  Augustine  should  remain  on  the  Isle  of 
Thanet,  where  he  had  landed,  until  after  their 
first  meeting,  which  was  to  be  held  in  the  open 
air  secure  from  tlie  danger  of  magic  spells ! 

"The  frank  attitude  of  Augustine  appealed 
to  the  equally  sturdy  character  of  Ethelbert, 
whose  Queen,  Bertha,  a  French  princess,  had 
brought  her  own  Christian  bishop  from  France 
and  had  already  established  service  in  a  small 
chapel  outside  the  city  walls,  once  used  by  the 
earlier  British  Christians,  and  named  by  her 
for  St.  Martin  of  Tours.  Within  the  present 
church,  which  retains  in  its  walls  some  of  the 
old  Roman  bricks,  you  find  an  ancient  Saxon 
font,  where  presumably  the  Saxon  King  was 
baptized  on  June  2,  597.  Such  traditions  are 
to  be  doubted,  but  the  font  is  unquestionably 
very  old  and  fitly  commemorates  the  momen- 

25 


AX    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

tons  event  which  bronght  Roman  Christianity 
into  England.  Ethelbert  next  presented 
Angnstine  with  a  neighboring  Saxon  temple, 
which  was  speedily  dedicated  to  St.  Pancras 
and  became  a  center  for  public  worship.  Later 
the  King  granted  a  large  tract  of  land  for 
an  Abbey,  where  the  new  religion  might  estab- 
lish a  monastery  and  school.  And  so  St. 
Augustine's  Abbey  became  England's  vener- 
ated Alma  jNIater,  "the  seat  of  letters  and 
study,  at  a  time  when  Cambridge  was  a  deso- 
late fen  and  Oxford  a  tangled  forest  in  a  wild 
waste  of  waters." 

All  of  these  buildings  were  without  the  city 
walls,  the  Abbey  at  the  special  desire  of 
Augustine  that  he  might  have  a  consecrated 
spot  for  his  bones  after  death.  According  to 
the  Roman  and  Oriental  usages  to  which  he 
was  accustomed,  such  burial  could  not  be 
thought  of  within  the  city  walls.  But  King 
Ethelbert,  not  content  with  having  the  new 
faith  represented  outside  tlie  city  alone,  re- 
moved his  own  palace  to  Reculver,  not  far  dis- 
tant, and,  having  consecrated  Augustine  the 
first  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  gave  him  the 
former  royal  palace  and  an  old  British  or 
Roman  church  as  the  foundation  of  the  new 

26 


CANTERBURY 

Cathedral,  which  Augustine  named  Christ 
Church. 

As  j^ou  return  to  the  Cathedral,  you  go  into 
the  gateway  of  St.  Augustine's  monastery  and 
look  around  the  ancient  precincts.  The  crum- 
bling crypt  of  the  Abbey  church  and  the  dis- 
tant ruins  of  St.  Pancras  are  eloquent  of  the 
glory  of  departed  days.  Even  the  burial 
place  of  Augustine  is  now  unknown.  The 
Abbey  and  its  traditions  were  swept  away  by 
Henry  VIII,  but  the  spirit  of  Augustine  is 
still  marching  on,  for  the  restored  buildings 
now  harbor  an  efficient  school  for  missionaries 
and  the  old  Abbey  sends  its  Christian  teachers 
to  the  remotest  ends  of  the  earth. 

Back  to  the  Cathedral  gateway  again,  and 
with  eager  anticipations  j^ou  enter  the  pre- 
cincts. 

"Far  off  the  noises  of  the  world  retreat," 

and  you  are  greeted  by  broad  stretches  of 
English  lawn,  splendid  towering  lindens,  and 
fine  old  houses  inclosed  by  picturesque  walls 
over  which  vines  clamber  and  beckon  allur- 
ingly. Keeping  in  mind  that  the  two  end 
towers  of  the  Cathedral  face  the  west,  it  is  a 
delight  to  stroll  slowly  along  the  south  side  and 

27 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

gather  first  impressions.  What  an  immensely 
long  structure  it  is!  The  transepts,  instead  of 
being  near  the  east  end  as  in  many  churches 
which  face  west,  are  actually  midway  of  the 
building,  and  a  second  pair  of  transepts  ap- 
pears farther  on.  There  is  a  fascination  about 
it  like  that  of  reading  a  great  book  carved  out 
of  stone. 

We  begin  to  see  clearly  that  nave  and  west- 
ern transepts  are  all  of  one  "style,"  with  their 
tall,  "Perpendicular"  windows  and  huge  fly- 
ing buttresses  terminating  in  graceful  pinna- 
cles, and  over  the  roofs  of  the  aisles  the  flying 
buttresses  which  help  to  steady  the  arches  of 
the  nave.  Just  above  the  clerestory  windows 
along  the  edge  of  the  roof  are  additional  pin- 
nacles, all  helping  to  convey  the  impression 
that  the  huge  nave  rests  lightly  upon  its 
foundations,  though  in  reality  the  pinnacles 
by  their  weight  have  an  important  share  in 
steadying  the  walls  of  nave  and  aisles.  A  few 
steps  beyond  the  first  transept  the  whole 
appearance  of  the  building  suddenly  changes. 
This  part  plainly  belongs  to  an  earlier  time. 
Here  is  the  massive  architecture  of  the  Nor- 
man; strong,  solid  walls  pierced  by  round- 
arched  windows.     Yet  a  graceful  tower  with 

28 


CANTERBURY 

a  pointed  roof  shows  how  beautifully  even  this 
more  serious  architecture  can  be  handled  by 
a  skilled  artist.  Still  moving  eastward,  a 
lovely  little  chapel,  St.  Anselm's,  comes  into 
view  and  our  attention  is  arrested  by  the  con- 
trast between  its  Norman  beginnings  and  the 
graceful  "Decorated"  window  which  adorns 
its  south  wall  and  is  evidently  a  later  embel- 
lishment. 

Just  above  you,  creeping  over  the  roofs  of 
the  aisles,  are  some  rather  insignificant-looking 
flying  buttresses.  Notice  how  timorously 
they  hug  the  roof.  But  you  must  look  at 
them  with  resj^ect,  for  they  represent  the  ear- 
liest appearance  in  English  architecture  of  the 
flying  buttress  on  the  outside  of  a  church. 
Compare  them  with  those  of  the  nave  and  see 
how  they  were  later  developed  by  the  Gothic 
builders.  At  Westminster  Abbey  you  will 
find  them  soaring  above  the  roofs  with  the 
greatest  abandon. 

The  plain  lead  roof  of  this  end  of  the  Cathe- 
dral is  gracefully  rounded  at  its  east  end,  and 
here  we  come  upon  a  very  striking  feature,  the 
semi-detached,  never  finished  "Corona"  which 
completes  the  church  and  is  popularly  known 
as  Becket's  Crown.     We  walk  slowly  around 

29 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

the  Corona.  The  north  side  of  the  Cathedral 
was  the  territory  of  the  old  monastery,  until 
its  monks,  like  those  of  Augustine's  Abbey, 
were  scattered  by  Henry  VIII.  We  look 
with  dismay  on  the  ragged,  vine-covered  Nor- 
man arches,  the  fragments  of  the  old  Infirm- 
ary, and  we  pass  by  them  into  the  "Dark  En- 
try" haunted  by  a  ghost  as  told  in  the  "In- 
goldsby  Legends."  Here  we  discover  other 
buildings — chapter  house,  library,  and  the 
monks'  lavatory  clustering  so  close  to  the 
Cathedral  that  we  can  hardly  puzzle  out  the 
features  which  balance  those  of  the  south  side. 
But  if  the  south  side  told  us  its  architectural 
story  very  frankly,  this  north  side  is  utterly 
charming  from  its  varied  and  bewildering  at- 
tractions. You  peer  through  a  long,  dark  pas- 
sage and  catch  a  glimpse  of  partly  ruined  clois- 
ters surrounding  a  venerable  graveyard.  The 
ghostly  dark  entry  opens  out  between  queer 
little  twisted  Norman  columns  into  a  lovely 
bower  of  lawn  and  shrubbery,  and  when  you 
pass  out  through  the  old  prior's  gate  into  the 
beautiful  Green  Court  you  realize  something 
of  what  the  monastery  must  have  been  in  its 
palmy  days.  Now  the  boys  of  the  King's 
School,  one  of  England's  oldest  public  schools, 

30 


x^'i'tf PC- ;/,'?'-  '-■■■'    ':')mL'Tmmy€mii 


TRINITY   CHAPEL   AND   CORONATION    CHAIR,    CANTERBURY   CATHEDRAL. 


CANTERBURY 

dwell  where  the  home  of  the  monks  once  stood, 
and  near  by  is  a  rarely  beautiful  old  Norman 
stairway,  one  of  Canterbury's  most  cherished 
possessions.  The  Cathedral  Library  is 
housed  in  an  ancient  dormitory,  and  round 
about  are  the  houses  of  Dean  and  Bishop  and 
the  recently  rebuilt  palace  of  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury.  Until  a  few  years  ago,  the 
Archbishops  had  had  no  official  home  in  Can- 
terbury since  Puritan  fanatics  pillaged  and 
destroyed  the  old  palace  more  than  two  hun- 
dred years  ago. 

Retracing  our  steps  we  enter  the  Cathedral 
by  the  beautiful  south  door  adorned  wdth  kings 
and  other  worthies  of  Canterbury's  glorious 
past.  This  south  entrance,  unlike  the  chief 
doorways  of  many  cathedrals  which  open  at 
the  west,  indicates  a  survival  of  Canterbury's 
long-past  custom  when  disputes  not  referable 
to  other  courts  were  heard  in  the  south  porch 
of  the  Cathedral.  It  was  an  old  British  prac- 
tice and  "the  one  link  between  the  present 
Cathedral  and  the  old  British  Church  which 
Augustine  received  from  Ethelbert."^  In 
the  panel  just  above  the  doorway  is  a  weather- 
worn representation  of  the  altar  of  Becket, 

'  Freeman. 

31 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

and  you  are  reminded  that  Canterbury  was 
for  centuries,  in  the  minds  of  thousands  of 
people,  chiefly  the  shrine  of  St.  Thomas.  We 
can  only  understand  the  amazing  results  of 
the  murder  and  canonization  of  Becket  by  re- 
membering that  at  the  time  of  his  death  Chris- 
tianity liad  fallen  under  the  strange  domina- 
tion of  relic-worship.  The  importance  of  the 
great  monasteries  was  so  dependent  upon  the 
possession  of  relics  that  the  most  surprising 
efl^orts  were  made  to  secure  them,  with  results 
both  pitiful  and  ludicrous,  as  shown  by  the 
modern  traveler's  experience  with  fragments 
of  so-called  saints. 

The  burial  of  St.  Augustine's  body  outside 
the  city  walls,  with  the  subsequent  interment 
there  of  succeeding  archbishops,  gave  to  the 
Abbey  a  prestige  which  the  monks  of  Christ 
Church,  the  Archbishop's  own  Cathedral,  saw 
with  growing  concern.  At  length  the  ninth 
Archbishop,  Cuthbert,  discerning  his  oppor- 
tunity, left  his  bones  to  the  Cathedral,  charg- 
ing the  monks  not  to  ring  the  great  bell  until 
three  days  after  his  death.  The  plan  worked 
successfully,  and  after  that  with  one  exception 
no  primate  was  interred  at  the  Abbey,  and 
down  to  the  period  of  the  Reformation  not 

32 


CANTERBURY 

more  than  six  were  buried  outside  the  Cathe- 
dral precincts. 

Gradually  the  prestige  of  the  Cathedral  in- 
creased as  her  soil  became  sacred  with  the  dust 
of  the  departed.  Dunstan,  one  of  the  great- 
est statesmen  of  Saxon  England  and  Arch- 
bishop for  twenty-seven  years,  died  at  Canter- 
bury, and  Canute,  as  we  have  noted,  restored 
the  martyred  Alphege.  During  the  troublous 
times  of  the  Conquest,  in  1067,  the  Cathedral 
was  burned;  and  when  Lanfranc,  the  first 
Norman  Archbishop,  was  greeted  by  a  dis- 
mantled church  he  straightway  set  about  rear- 
ing a  more  noble  structure.  For  three  hundred 
years  Lanfranc's  Norman  nave  and  transepts, 
his  impressive  crypt,  western  towers,  and  cen- 
tral steeple  with  its  gilded  angel,  stood  un- 
changed. Not  so  the  "Choir"  eastward  of 
the  central  towers;  for  within  twenty  years  of 
Lanfranc's  death,  Anselm,  his  great  successor, 
pulled  it  down  and  entrusted  the  task  of  en- 
largement to  the  prior  Ernulf,  who  developed 
the  new  structure  on  a  magnificent  scale,  ex- 
tending Lanfranc's  crypt  far  eastward.  On 
the  wall  near  the  entrance  to  the  crypt  is  some 
diaper  ornamentation,  regarded  as  Ernulf's 
mark.     Ernulf  afterward  became  Bishop  of 

33 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Rochester,  and  a  similar  pattern  is  still  visible 
on  the  ruins  of  his  monastic  buildings  at  Roch- 
ester. Ernulf  s  successor,  Prior  Conrad,  fin-, 
ished  the  work  with  such  skill  and  enthusiasm 
that,  as  the  old  chronicler  says,  "Nothing  like 
it  could  be  seen  in  England  either  for  the  bril- 
liancy of  its  glass  windows,  the  beauty  of  its 
marble  pavement,  or  the  many-colored  pic- 
tures which  led  the  wondering  eyes  to  the  very 
summit  of  the  ceiling."  It  was  long  known  as 
"the  glorious  choir  of  Conrad."  A  recently 
discovered  fresco  in  St.  Anselm's  Chapel  con- 
firms the  tale  of  its  beautiful  color  effects. 

It  was  during  this  period  of  the  Cathedral's 
splendor  that  the  spectacular  murder  of 
Thomas  a  Becket,  and  his  canonization  as  a 
saint,  with  the  miraculous  powers  attributed 
to  his  shrine,  spread  the  fame  of  Canterbury 
throughout  Christendom.  Becket's  quarrel 
with  Henry  II  and  his  subsequent  murder  are 
familiar  matters  of  history,  but  one  may  trace 
here  the  steps  of  the  tale  as  immortalized  in 
the  stones  of  the  Cathedral. 

Entering  the  nave  of  the  church,  we  are  at 
once  impressed  by  its  light  appearance.  Our 
anticipations  of 

Storied  windows  richly  dight, 
Casting  a  dim  religious  light," 
34 


CANTERBURY 

are  rudely  shattered,  but,  sadly  enough,  not 
more  so  than  were  the  splendid  old  stained- 
glass  windows  destroyed  by  fanatics  in  the 
days  of  the  Commonwealth.  We  are  in  a  nave 
of  later  construction  than  Lanfranc's,  but 
as  we  stand  near  the  west  door  and  look  up 
toward  the  choir  we  notice  one  of  the  most 
impressive  features  of  this  Cathedral,  the 
great  flight  of  steps  beneath  the  central  tower 
leading  from  the  nave  up  to  the  screen  which 
cuts  off  the  nave  from  the  choir.  The  ex- 
planation is  to  be  found  in  the  huge  crypt 
which  lies  beneath  the  choir  and,  with  its  later 
additions,  raises  the  whole  eastern  end  of  the 
church  more  than  twenty  feet  above  the  nave. 
Turning  into  the  north  transept,  now 
known  as  "The  Martyrdom,"  we  are  on  the 
very  spot  of  Becket's  assassination,  and 
through  the  open  doorway  into  the  cloisters 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  peaceful  graveyard. 
The  Archbishop's  palace  adjoined  the  clois- 
ters, and  under  the  arcades  and  through  this 
doorway  the  monks  urged  Becket  on  that  fate- 
ful winter  afternoon  of  the  29th  of  December, 
1170.  The  murderers  had  held  a  violent 
altercation  with  Becket  in  his  palace  and  had 
left  him,  as  the  monks  correctly  inferred,  to 
get  their  weapons.     They  urged   Becket  to 

35 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

take  refuge  at  the  High  Altar,  for  the  vesper 
service  had  ah'eady  begun;  but  he  hngered  in 
the  transept,  refusing  to  let  the  monks  close 
the  door  on  their  brethren,  who  were  fleeing, 
panic-stricken  at  the  rumors  of  soldiery,  from 
the  cloisters  to  the  Cathedral.  Urged  by  the 
monks,  Becket  mounted  a  few  steps  of  the 
flight  leading  to  the  choir;  but  on  the  ap- 
proach of  the  murderers,  who  in  the  dim  light 
of  the  candles  at  the  various  altars,  and  amid 
the  general  confusion,  could  not  identify  the 
Archbishop,  descended  and  faced  them.  His 
assailants  hesitated,  partly  from  dread  of  com- 
mitting sacrilege;  but  Becket  resisted  all 
efforts  to  drag  him  from  the  church  and  in  a 
few  moments  fell  dead,  the  final  violent  blow 
of  Richard  the  Breton  severing  his  scalp  from 
the  skull  and  snapjDing  the  sword  which  dealt 
it. 

Carrying  the  body  to  the  High  Altar,  the 
monks  watched  with  it  all  night.  The  discov- 
ery of  a  monk's  habit  and  hair-cloth  shirt  be- 
neath Becket's  garments  revealed  the  fact  that 
he  was  virtually  one  of  themselves,  though  he 
had  never  been  formally  recognized  as  a  monk. 
The  discovery  excited  the  greatest  enthusiasm 
and  he  became  at  once  Saint  Thomas.     The 

36 


CANTERBURY 

very  drops  of  his  blood  as  well  as  other  relics 
were  religiously  preserved.  Fear  of  his  ene- 
mies led  to  his  hasty  burial  in  the  crypt  below. 
An  altar  was  erected  here  and  also  in  the  tran- 
sept, and  the  shrines  speedily  acquired  a  sanc- 
tity unparalleled  in  the  history  of  sainthood. 
Four  years  after  Becket's  death  Henry  II 
made  his  famous  pilgrimage  to  Canterbury, 
kneeling  first  in  the  porch  of  the  Cathedral, 
then  on  the  stones  where  the  archbishop  had 
fallen.  At  the  tomb  in  the  crypt  he  received 
more  than  two  hundred  strokes  from  the 
monks  and  spent  the  night  on  the  bare 
ground. 

Canterbury's  crypt  has  the  distinction  of 
being  the  finest  in  England,  and  it  is  with  a 
thrill  of  admiration  that  you  stand  at  the  west 
end  and  look  down  the  long  vista  of  dusky 
arches,  noting  the  sturdy  Norman  columns 
with  square  abacus  and  variously  carved  capi- 
tals. The  columns,  too,  exhibit  differing  zig- 
zag patterns. 

In  the  southeast  transept  of  the  crypt  is 
the  Chantry  Chapel  of  the  Black  Prince, 
given  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  in  1363.  It  is 
pleasant  to  think  of  Canterbury  as  a  refuge 
from  the  horrors  of  St.  Bartholomew,  for  since 

37 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

Elizabeth's  time  French  Huguenots  and  their 
descendants  have  worshiped  in  this  chantry 
and  on  special  occasions  the  large  crypt  has 
been  hospitably  opened  to  them.  They  have 
left  traces  of  their  sojourn  here  in  French  in- 
scriptions on  pillar  and  arch.  At  the  east  end 
of  the  crypt  is  a  chapel  to  the  Virgin,  in  early 
days  gorgeously  decorated  and  crowded  with 
offerings,  but  now  in  darkness,  for  a  loftier 
crypt  has  arisen  beyond.  Between  two  slen- 
der pillars  on  the  edge  of  this  newer  part  is 
the  spot  where  Becket  was  buried  in  the  earlier 
crypt  and  Henry  II  passed  his  lonely  vigil. 
The  pointed  arches  and  the  use  of  the  round 
abacus  on  the  newer  though  massive  columns 
show  the  fine  Early  English  work  which  nobly 
completes  Ernulf's  ideal  of  an  imposing  "un- 
dercroft." 

Two  months  after  Henry  II's  visit  in  1174, 
Conrad's  glorious  choir  was  completely  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  The  people  of  the  town, 
trained  to  rely  upon  relics  and  superstitions, 
lost  control  of  themselves,  "tore  their  hair, 
uttered  tremendous  curses  against  God  and 
his  saints,  and  beat  the  walls  and  pavement 
of  the  church  with  their  shoulders  and  hands." 
But  the  monks  speedily  took  heart  and  an 

38 


CANTERBURY 

able  architect,  William  of  Sens,  was  imported 
from  Normandy.  Five  years  later  a  fall  in- 
capacitated him  and  his  plans  were  carried  out 
by  an  English  William,  "small  in  body  but  in 
many  kinds  of  work  acute  and  honest."  It  is 
the  work  of  these  two  Williams  that  we  see 
to-day  in  Canterbury's  choir.  William  of 
Sens  brought  his  ideas  of  Norman  construc- 
tion from  his  own  church  at  Sens,  and  the 
architecture  is  especially  interesting  from  its 
blending  of  the  old  Norman  with  the  later 
Early  English.  The  old  chronicler  states  that 
the  former  choir  was  "sculptured  with  an  ax 
and  not  with  a  chisel."  This  was  really  a  way 
of  saying  that  the  work  of  the  two  Williams 
was  more  delicately  and  elaborately  carved. 
The  Early  English  style  was  foreshadowed  by 
the  frequent  use  of  pointed  windows  and  a 
general  sense  of  lightness,  walls  and  roof  rest- 
ing upon  the  pillars,  instead  of  conveying  a 
sense  of  solid  walls  pierced  by  arches  and  win- 
dows. At  the  corner  of  the  southeast  transept 
and  the  western  choir  aisle  you  can  see  an  in- 
teresting combination  of  round  and  pointed 
arches,  Norman  billet  and  zigzag  work,  and 
also  the  dog-tooth  moldings  of  the  coming 
Early  English  period.     The  capitals  of  the 

39 


AN    ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    JOURNEY 

pillars  are  also  very  well  worth  noticing,  for 
tliey  are  not  Norman,  such  as  we  have  seen  in 
the  crypt,  nor  the  strictly  Early  English  to  be 
observed  in  other  cathedrals,  but  they  suggest 
classical  capitals  of  the  Corinthian  order  and 
show  the  early  French  influence  which  Wil- 
liam of  Sens  brought  with  him.  As  you  come 
up  from  the  crypt  and  enter  the  choir,  you 
notice  the  great  height  of  the  altar  and  at  once 
recall  the  lofty  arches  of  the  eastern  crypt. 
When  the  church  was  rebuilt,  the  shrine  of 
Becket  had  already  brought  to  the  Cathedral 
not  only  great  distinction  but  its  richest  source 
of  revenue,  and  a  new  Trinity  Chapel  was 
designed  for  the  bones  of  the  saint.  You  can 
see  the  arches  of  Trinity  Chapel  just  above 
the  High  Altar,  and  beyond  them  still  other 
arches  leading  into  the  Corona  or  Becket's 
Crown,  popularly  supposed  to  have  held  the 
relic  of  his  severed  skull. 

A  walk  around  the  aisles  which  inclose  the 
choir  brings  us  to  some  of  the  Cathedral's 
greatest  treasures,  but  we  must  first  not  fail 
to  notice  the  beautiful  stone  screen  work,  just 
in  front  of  the  pillars,  executed  a  hundred 
years  later  by  Prior  d'Estria,  a  fine  example 
of  the  Decorated  style  which  succeeded  the 

40 


CANTERBURY 

Early  English.  The  Archbishop's  throne 
with  its  graceful  canopy  stands  on  the  right, 
and  opposite  it  we  go  through  a  doorway  into 
the  north  aisle.  What  a  picture  it  all  is !  The 
light  steals  through  ancient  stained-glass  win- 
dows which  portray  the  miracles  of  Becket. 
Slender  shafts  of  brown  marble  decorate  the 
piers  and  triforium  arches,  making  a  rich  con- 
trast with  the  light  gray  Caen  stone.  In  ad- 
joining chapels  and  all  about  us  are  the  tombs 
of  the  illustrious  dead  who  served  England 
when  archbishops  were  virtually  prime  minis- 
ters, and  just  ahead  are  the  stone  steps  worn 
into  hollows  by  the  feet  and  knees  of  tens  of 
thousands  of  pilgrims.  Becket's  new  shrine 
was  set  up  just  fifty  years  after  his  death,  and 
the  occasion  brought  an  immense  throng  of 
people  to  Canterbury.  The  bones  were  car- 
ried from  the  crj^Dt  by  Pandulph,  the  Pope's 
legate,  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  Stephen 
Eangton,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and 
Hubert  de  Burgh,  Grand  Justiciary  of  Eng- 
land. King  Henry  III,  the  young  son  of 
John,  led  the  imposing  procession.  A  repre- 
sentation of  the  shrine  still  exists  in  one  of  the 
adjoining  windows.  The  wealth  of  gold  and 
jewels  which  accumulated  at  the  spot  is  in- 

41 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

credible.  A  watching  tower  in  St.  Anselm's 
chapel  guarded  the  tomb  by  night  and  a  great 
cover  was  let  down  over  it  during  the  day, 
drawn  up  by  a  monk  at  intervals  for  the  edi- 
fication of  the  pilgrims  who  gazed  upon  its 
splendors  and  rubbed  their  poor,  diseased 
frames  against  the  stone  arches  supporting 
the  shrine.  Directly  east  in  the  Corona  stands 
the  chair  of  Augustine,  probably  not  earlier 
than  the  twelfth  century,  but  undoubtedly 
antique  and  still  used  for  the  consecration  of 
the  archbishop.  On  its  left  is  the  tomb  of 
Cardinal  Pole,  the  last  Catholic  archbishop 
under  Queen  Mary,  and  on  the  right  the  beau- 
tiful kneeling  portrait  statue  of  the  late  Arch- 
bishop Temple,  who  crowned  King  Edward 
VII.  His  body  and  Dean  Farrar's  both  rest 
in  the  cloister  graveyard. 

The  place  of  the  shrine,  now  marked  by  the 
worn  pavement  where  the  multitudes  gath- 
ered, is  flanked  on  one  side  by  the  tomb  of 
Henry  IV,  the  only  King  buried  in  Canter- 
bury, and  on  the  other  by  that  of  Edward 
the  Black  Prince,  who  sleeps  with  the  armor 
which  he  actually  wore,  hanging  above  him^ — 
helmet,  gauntlets,  leather-covered  wooden 
shield  and  velvet  surcoat.     Beside  the  Black 

42 


CANTERBURY 

Prince's  tomb  is  that  of  Archbishop  Courte- 
nay,  who  drove  AVicHf  and  his  followers  from 
Oxford  but  could  not  silence  them.  Across 
the  aisle  is  an  ancient  stone  coffin  identified  in 
1889  as  that  of  Hubert  Walter,  made  Arch- 
bishop by  Richard  I  on  the  field  of  Acre.  Af- 
terwards as  Chancellor  he  raised  the  ransom 
for  his  King.  When  found,  the  body,  remark- 
ably preserved,  was  arrayed  in  its  ancient  vest- 
ments with  ring  and  pastoral  staff. 

For  more  than  three  hundred  years  the 
shrine  continued  to  attract  thousands  of  pil- 
grims, but  the  Middle  Ages  were  passing  and 
the  visit  of  Colet  and  Erasmus  about  1512  in- 
dicated its  waning  authority.  Both  were  de- 
voted on  the  "New  Learning."  Colet,  lecturer 
at  Oxford  and  one  of  the  earliest  teachers  of 
a  rational  Christianity,  made  drastic  remarks 
upon  the  childish  spectacle  of  the  martyr's  rags 
offered  for  adoration.  Erasmus,  keenly  sen- 
sitive to  the  beauty  of  the  Cathedral,  felt  the 
terrible  incongruity  of  it  all.  A  few  years 
later  came  the  final  blow  when  the  divorce  of 
Henry  VIII  and  his  consequent  stand  against 
the  Pope  separated  the  English  church  from 
Rome.  In  1538  the  shrine  was  called  upon 
to  empty  its  wealth  into  the  king's  treasury, 

43 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

and  its  jewels  and  gold  were  borne  off  in  two 
strong  coffers  by  seven  or  eight  men.  Serv- 
ice, festivals,  pictures,  and  images  of  St. 
Thomas  were  forbidden,  and  he  was  hence- 
forth to  be  known  only  as  Bishop  Becket.^ 
The  strange  circumstance  that  the  change 
came  about  with  scarcely  a  protest  from  the 
people  is  significant  of  the  changing  times. 

As  we  leave  the  choir  and  look  up  at  the  end 
of  the  Martyrdom  Transept,  we  notice  a 
broad  band  of  rich  old  stained  glass.  This 
and  a  few  fragments  are  all  that  remain  of  the 
magnificent  window  given  by  Edward  IV, 
showing  the  King  and  Queen,  the  princesses, 
and  the  pathetic  little  princes  afterward  mur- 
dered in  the  tower.  In  this  transept  Edward 
I  was  married  to  Margaret  of  France  and 
hung  the  golden  crown  of  Scotland  by  Beck- 
et's  shrine.  His  Archbishop,  Peckham,  one 
of  the  earliest  of  the  great  medieval  preach- 
ers, lies  here  in  the  congenial  company  of  War- 
ham,  who  protected  Colet  and  Erasmus  when 

^  There  was  long  a  theory  that  the  monks  did  not  burn 
Becket's  bones,  as  ordered  ijy  the  King,  but  secretly  buried 
them.  In  1888  a  coffin  was  discovered  in  the  Crypt  containing 
the  bones  of  a  very  tall  man.  There  were  marks  of  violence 
on  the  skull.  The  skull  was  photographed  and  the  bones 
buried  where  found  on  the  site  of  the  old  shrine.  The  belief 
that  they  are  the  bones  of  Becket  has  been  ably  advocated. 

44 


CANTERBURY 

the  "New  Learning"  was  fighting  for  exist- 
ence. One  other  famous  tomb  claims  our 
special  homage,  a  worthier  shrine  than  that  of 
Becket.  In  the  Warriors'  Chapel  opening 
out  of  the  southwest  transept  an  arch  was  built 
in  the  wall,  when  reconstructed  in  later  times 
to  admit  a  grave  which  now  lies  half  within 
and  half  without  the  building.  It  is  the  tomb 
of  Archbishop  Stephen  Langton,  who  stood 
for  English  freedom  against  the  despotism  of 
King  John  and  led  the  barons  in  their  struggle 
for  Magna  Charta. 

We  step  back  into  the  nave  and  stroll  slowly 
down  the  aisles.  The  marks  of  Cromwell's 
troopers  who  stabled  their  horses  here,  are  still 
visible.  By  way  of  contrast  is  the  long  line 
of  tablets  along  the  wall  to  gallant  British  sol- 
diers who  have  carried  England's  empire 
around  the  world.  The  last  tablet  on  the 
south  wall  is  that  of  Dean  Farrar,  and  across 
from  it  sleeps  the  late  Archbishop  Benson,  the 
first  archbishop  since  the  Reformation  to  be 
buried  in  the  Cathedral.  We  sit  down  by  the 
west  door  and  look  up  through  the  long  vista 
as  the  late  afternoon  sunlight  streams  down 
through  the  central  tower.  Lanfranc's  old 
Norman  building  is  gone,  though  the  great 

45 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

central  tower  rests  on  his  massive  Norman 
piers,  which  were  cased  with  new  stone  when 
the  Perpendicular  nave  was  built.  The  broad 
arch  buttresses  across  the  nave  and  South 
Transept  were  erected  very  soon  after  the 
tower  was  completed,  and  the  slight  bulging 
of  the  northwest  pier,  which  had  no  buttress, 
shows  how  necessary  were  these  additions. 
The  difference  between  the  triforium  of  the 
choir  and  this  of  the  nave  is  striking.  The  nave 
is  Gothic,  and  Gothic  of  a  late  period,  when 
the  clerestory  windows  were  being  given  great 
prominence  and  the  triforium  gallery  becom- 
ing subordinate.  Contrast  the  paneling  of 
the  nave  triforium  with  the  open  arches  of  that 
in  the  choir.  Gothic  was  scarcely  born  when 
the  two  Williams  built  the  choir,  and  two  hun- 
dred years  of  changes  had  passed  when  this 
nave  was  built.  Carved  capitals  had  come  and 
gone,  and  these  tall,  stately  arches  with  their 
very  plain  piers  and  capitals  had  become  typi- 
cal of  English  "Perpendicular"  Gothic.  Can- 
terbury's enthusiasm  for  building  did  not 
come  when  English  Gothic  was  in  full  flower. 
Nevertheless,  England  had  become  English 
when  Prior  Chillenden  rebuilt  the  nave  and 
transepts  in  Wiclif's  time.     The  slender  clus- 

46 


CANTERBURY 

tering  shafts  and  vast  pointed  arches  which 
support  the  roof  suggest  the  new  spirit  of  re- 
ligious aspiration  which  was  feehng  its  way 
in  England.  Wiclif's  belief  that  "In  the  end 
truth  will  conquer"  could  not  be  overthrown, 
and  the  days  of  "pilgrimages"  were  doomed. 
As  you  sit  in  the  growing  dusk  your  percep- 
tion of  the  grandeur  of  the  Cathedral  deepens. 
It  is  England's  great  monument  to  her  spirit- 
ual struggles  and  triumphs  for  thirteen  cen- 
turies, and  is  still  instinct  with  life.  When  in 
1495  the  Cathedral  added  her  crowning  glory, 
the  superb  central  tower,  Columbus  had  dis- 
covered America,  the  printing  press  was  at 
work,  and  a  new  era  was  dawning.  But  Can- 
terbury had  still  to  await  her  deliverance.  Her 
shrines  were  to  be  demolished  ere  she  could  be 
freed  from  the  ignominy  of  relic  worship,  her 
great  Archbishop  Cranmer  was  to  perish  in 
the  fires  of  the  Reformation,  and  religious 
fanaticism  was  to  wreak  its  vengeance  upon 
her  glorious  art.  Yet  with  prophetic  vision 
she  raised  aloft  her  beautiful  tower  for  the 
England  of  the  future,  typical  of  the  beauty 
of  holiness  yet  to  be  realized. 


47 


CD  WABRIcPRS'CrtAPtL 
(2)  CRVPT 

C3)b»lac:k  pR\nct'/ 

(4)HE.nRV  FOURTH'^ 

(5)  AM50.rJ/  CHAPLL 

(6)  nApnrvRDon 


PLA/i  OF 

CAHTLR-DUR-V  CATHEDRAL 


48 


BRIEF    SUMMARY    FOR    THE    TRAVELER 

Cathedral  begun  in  1070.  The  Mother  Church  of  Eng- 
land. Its  interest  strongly  Historical.  Architec- 
turally CHIEFLY  Norman,  Early  Transitional  and  Per- 
pendicular Periods. 

Plan :    A    double   cross   Avith   an    elongated    circular 
apse,  and  a  circular  eastern  chapel  beyond. 

Early  Fragments  (1070-77) 

Norman.  Remains  of  Lanfranc's  cathedral  in  the  plinth 
of  the  wall  of  nave  and  transepts  and  the  core  of  the  col- 
umns   of    the  central    tower. 

Crypt  (1070-1184) 

Western  part,  Norman.  Built  chiefly  after  Lanfranc's 
time.  Notice  Ernulf's  diaper  pattern  near  the  entrance. 
Some  of  the  Norman  capitals  are  still  unfinished.  Chapel 
of  St.  John,  very  striking  Norman  capitals  and  traces  of 
painting  on  the  roof.  Chapel  of  Our  Lady  Undercroft, 
traces  of  decoration  on  vault  still  visible.  Perpendicular 
stone  screens,  15th  century,  surround  it.  Tomb  of  Cardi- 
nal Morton  marked  with  Tudor  portcullis.  Black  Prince's 
chantry  founded  in  1363,  Early  Perpendicular  15th  cen- 
tury decoration.     Eastern  Crypt,  Early  English. 

Conrad's  Choir  (1096-1115) 

Norman.  "The  glorious  Choir  of  Conrad"  was  burned 
in  1174,  but  a  good  deal  remains.  St.  Anselm's  Chapel 
survived  but  has  been  much  altered.     A  fresco  of  Con- 

49 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

rad's  time  may  still  be  seen.  His  clerestory  windows 
survive  in  the  triforium  of  the  eastern  transepts.  In 
St.  Andrew's  chapel  the  diaper  pattern  of  Ernulf  ap- 
pears over  the  arch  of  its  apse. 

Outside,  the  arcade  on  the  southeast  transept  side 
walls  is  Conrad's  work,  and  also  the  beautiful  pointed 
Norman  tower. 

Present  Choir  (1174-84) 

Transitional.  Longer  than  Conrad's  Choir  and  than 
that  in  any  other  English  church,  180  feet.  Vaulting 
low.  Elongated  apse  known  as  Trinity  Chapel,  a  French 
feature.  Corinthian  Capitals  with  square  abacus,  coupled 
columns  in  Trinity  Chapel  almost  a  copy  of  those  at 
Sens,  Normandy. 

Slender  dark  Purbeck  marble  shafts  and  dark  abacus 
for  each  column;  this  marble  became  later  a  characteris- 
tic Early  English  feature.  Round  and  pointed  arches, 
Norman  billet  and  zigzag  work  with  the  coming  Early 
English  Dog  tooth  ornament.  See  combination  at  cor- 
ner of  southeast  transept  and  western  choir  aisle. 

Outside:  Notice  low  flying  buttresses  over  aisles. 
The  first  outside  flying  buttress  in  England. 

Contraction  of  choir  due  to  survival  of  towers  of  St. 
Anselm  and  St.  Andrew  from  Conrad's  Choir.  Three 
tiers  of  steps,  a  very  notable  feature:  at  the  crossing, 
the  High  Altar,  and  in  aisles  leading  up  to  Trinity 
Chapel.  Triforium  arches  pointed.  Notice  fan  vault- 
ed roof  in  Henry  IV's  Chantry,  1433. 

Lancet  windows,  where  used,  are  rather  broader  than 
the  late  Early  English  type.  Center  window  in  the 
Corona  is  ancient  glass.     The  others  modern.     Three  of 

50 


CANTERBURY 

the  old  13th  century  Beckct  windows  remain  on  north 
aisle  of  Trinity  Chapel  Some  old  glass  transferred 
from  other  windows  appears  in  western  windows  of 
north  choir  aisle.  In  St.  Anselm's  Chapel  large  south 
window  geometrical  style  of  Decorated  period,  1336. 

D'Estria's  beautiful  screen  incloses  choir  stalls. 
Lower  part  and  base  seen  in  choir  aisles  is  earlier 
time  of  William  of  Sens,  but  upper  part  all  d'Estria's. 
Carving  of  Decorated  period  1304-5.  Original  doorway 
into  north  choir  aisle  remains.  That  into  south  choir 
aisle  is  in  later  style. 

Transepts  (1378-1411) 

Perpendicular.  Like  the  nave,  built  on  Lanfranc's 
foundations.  Hence  unusually  short  and  narrow  and 
without  aisles.  NorthAvest,  or  Martyrdom  Transept. 
Interesting  old  tomb  of  Archbishop  Peckham,  late  13th 
century  work.  Great  north  window  presented  by  Ed- 
ward IV,   15th  century.     Much  of  the  glass  destroyed. 

Dean's  Chapel  (formerly  Lady  Chapel)  on  the  east, 
built  1460  in  Perpendicular  style.  Notice  beautiful  fan 
vaulting  and  the  delicate  decoration  of  the  chapel. 

Southwest  Transept:  Warrior's  chapel,  date  uncer- 
tain, probably  late  14th  century.  Tomb  of  Stephen 
Langton   retained  in   its   place   from   an   older   building. 

Nave  (1378-1411) 

Perpendicular.  Built  on  Lanfranc's  original  plinth 
for  the  aisle  walls.  High  in  proportion  to  its  length. 
Shortness  due  to  preservation  of  Lanfranc's  Northwest 
Tower,   which    was    replaced    in    1834.      Clerestory    and 

51 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

triforium  subordinated  to  pier  arches,  which  are  very 
tall  in  proportion. 

Large  west  window  made  from  fragments  of  old 
glass.  JNlost  of  remaining  windows  unpleasantly  mod- 
ern. Western  side  of  choir  screen  15th  century.  Per- 
pendicular work.  Older  work  of  d'Estria  in  choir  re- 
mains behind  it. 

Exterior:  Very  small  triforium  windows.  Very  ex- 
ceptional south  door.     Western  towers    130  feet  high. 

Central  Tower  (1495) 

Perpendicular  Period.  Interior:  Original  Norman 
piers  cased  with  later  work.  Buttressing  arches  across 
nave  and  south  transept.  None  on  north  transept,  hence 
northwest  pier  bulges  eastward. 

Exterior:  Perpendicular;  remarkably  beautiful.  No- 
tice graceful  outlines  of  windows.  Very  effective  and 
unusual  are  the  buttresses  at  the  corners,  rising  in  un- 
broken lines  from  roof  to  pinnacle.     249  ft.  4  in.  high. 


52 


CHAPTER    III 

ROCHESTER 

ROCHESTER  possesses  the  true  atmos- 
phere for  a  mystery.  Dickens  divined 
this  when  he  began  to  weave  his  plot 
for  a  story  which  should  center  about  the  Ca- 
thedral. The  to^^^l  to  him  was  "a  silent  city, 
deriving  an  earthy  flavor  throughout  from  its 
cathedral  crypt."  So  powerful  has  been  his 
spell  that  when  you  walk  the  streets  of  the  an- 
cient town  or  stroll  through  the  Cathedral, 
your  thoughts  are  quite  as  much  of  Jasper  and 
Tope  and  Canon  Crisparkle  and  Durdles  as 
they  are  of  those  robust  personalities  whose 
carved  figures  adorn  the  Choir  screen,  Pauli- 
nus,  Gundulph,  De  Hoo,  Fisher,  and  the  rest. 
But  this  darksome  little  town  with  its  creepy 
Cathedral  would  never  have  given  Dickens 
such  a  setting  for  his  tale  had  it  not  been  for 
the  grim  decrees  of  fate  which  molded  its  his- 
tory. 

Legend,  in  its  earliest  dawn,  represents  the 
53 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

pagan  residents  of  Rochester  as  opposing  a 
stout  f-ront  to  Augustine's  mission.  It  even 
asserts  that  they  attached  fish  tails  to  the  gar- 
ments of  the  preacher,  and  although  they 
finally  arrived  at  the  dignity  of  a  Christian 
bishopric  in  604,  their  first  bishop,  Justus,  had 
to  flee  to  Gaul  in  a  few  years,  when  owing  to 
the  death  of  King  Ethelbert  the  church  lapsed 
into  most  determined  heathenism.  A  similar 
tragedy  overtook  Paulinus,  the  brave  Augus- 
tinian  missionary  who  escorted  Ethelbert's 
daughter  to  Northumbria  as  the  bride  of  King 
Edwin  and  with  her  converted  him  to  Chris- 
tianity. The  story  belongs  to  the  annals  of 
York,  but  touches  Rochester  also,  for  Edwin 
fell  before  the  host  of  Penda  of  Mercia  and 
Paulinus  brought  the  widowed  queen  back  to 
her  Kentish  home  and  remained  as  Bishop  of 
Rochester,  while  the  north  was  left  to  Celtic 
missionaries. 

Rochester  on  its  hospitable  river  Medway 
naturally  proved  a  seductive  prize  for  pirates. 
The  Danes  plundered  the  town  whenever  their 
fancy  dictated,  though  once  at  least  King  Al- 
fred beat  them  off;  and  one  of  the  most  per- 
sistent of  early  traditions  asserts  that  the  doors 
of  the  Cathedral  were  covered  with  the  skins  of 

54 


EXTERIOR,  ROCHESTER    CATHEDRAL. 


TliMMius  Asli  Ot  S.,i,s  It'-flicslcr. 

NORMAN    TRIFORIUM,    ROCHESTER    CATHEDRAL. 


ROCHESTER 

Danes.  The  Normans,  with  their  military  in- 
stincts, reared  an  impregnable  castle  on  the 
river  bank,  and  despite  the  ragged  holes  in  its 
once  trim  exterior,  which  Dickens  said  looked 
as  if  the  rooks  and  daws  had  picked  its  eyes 
out,  a  defiant  spirit  breathes  from  it  to  this 
day. 

A  climb  to  the  top  of  the  castle  brings 
vividly  back  the  age  of  warfare, — dungeons 
below  your  feet,  the  deep  cut  of  the  portcullis 
overhead,  cheerless,  dark,  winding  stairways, 
unguarded  corridors,  and  grewsome  openings 
where  stones  and  hot  lead  might  be  precipi- 
tated upon  the  head  of  the  enemy.  You  are 
glad  to  reach  the  outlook  of  the  battlements 
with  a  lovely  view  of  the  Kentish  hills  and 
nothing  more  immediately  warlike  in  view  than 
the  neighboring  military  dockyards  of  Chat- 
ham, while  the  pigeons  build  their  nests  in  the 
chinks  of  the  castle  and  gulls  float  above  the 
river  as  they  must  have  done  with  sinister  in- 
tent in  the  cruel  days  of  long  ago.  Here  Wil- 
liam Rufus  besieged  the  Conqueror's  half 
brother,  the  rebel  Bishop  Odo.  Later  King 
John  undermined  its  outer  wall  and  Simon  de 
Montfort  and  Wat  Tyler  each  in  turn  tested 
its  strength. 

55 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Three  miles  away  across  the  river  is  Gad's 
Hill,  where  Dickens  spent  the  last  ten  years  of 
his  life/  The  name  awakens  Shakespearean 
memories  also.  Was  it  not  here  that  Falstaff, 
the  arch  robber,  met  his  equal  in  Prince 
Henry?  A  few  miles  to  the  south  is  a  group 
of  prehistoric  stones  known  as  Kits  Coty 
House.  Over  the  slope  of  this  hill  Hengist 
and  Horsa  are  said  to  have  marched  in  449, 
when,  turned  back  by  the  guarded  walls  of 
Rochester,  they  passed  down  into  the  valley 
of  the  Medway  to  that  world-famous  battle 
where  Horsa  fell,  the  first  of  England's  war 
heroes. 

But  it  was  long  after  Horsa  and  Paulinus 
and  the  Danes  that  an  archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, William  de  Corbeuil,  built  this  formi- 
dable castle,  and  it  was  an  asset  that  must  have 
rested  heavily  upon  him.  He  had  crowned 
King  Stephen  in  1154  after  solemnly  swearing 
to  support  the  cause  of  Matilda  and  is  said  to 
have  died  of  remorse  for  his  faithlessness.  The 


^  In  Dickens's  study  at  Gad's  Hill  was  a  shelf  of  counter- 
feit book  backs  ingeniously  devised  by  him  and  his  friends. 
Some  of  them  suggest  his  cathedral  studies:  "King  Henry 
VHI's  Evidences  of  Christianity,"  5  volumes;  "Noah's  Arki- 
tecture";  "The  Wisdom  of  our  Ancestors:  I.  Ignorance,  II. 
Superstition,  III.  The  Block,  IV.  The  Stake,  Y.  The  Rack, 
VI.  Dirt,  VII.  Disease." 

56 


ROCHESTER 

Cathedral  lies  in  a  hollow  just  below  the  castle. 
You  look  down  upon  its  odd  little  central 
tower,  antique  in  design  but  really  newest  of 
the  new.  The  previous  tower,  a  square,  eight- 
eenth century  production,  was  rebuilt  under 
the  late  Dean  Hole,  whose  zeal  turned  the  pro- 
ceeds of  an  American  lecture  tour  into  the 
treasury  of  his  Cathedral,  and  the  tower  once 
more  took  on  its  early  proportions. 

This  is  one  of  the  best  view  points  for  the 
Cathedral,  which  is  much  hemmed  in  by  build- 
ings. Its  Xorman  west  front  has  often  been 
restored  and  quite  altered  b\^  a  large  perpen- 
dicular window,  but  the  lower  tier  of  the  fa- 
cade has  suffered  less  change  and  its  fine  cen- 
tral Norman  doorway  is  a  credit  to  its  early 
architects.  The  pioneer  of  its  Norman  build- 
ers was  Bishop  Gundulph,  a  remarkable  man, 
for  years  a  monk  at  Bee  in  Normandy.  Bee 
was  one  of  the  greatest  seats  of  learning  in 
Efurope  and  the  monastery  of  Canterbury's 
famous  archbishops,  Lanfranc  and  Anselm. 
Gundulph,  intimately  acquainted  with  these 
prelates,  was  made  Bishop  of  Rochester  by 
Lanfranc.  Like  his  distinguished  associates 
he  was  an  able  architect  and  built  the  White 
Tower  of  London,  part  of  the  wall  of  Roches- 

57 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

ter  Castle  overlooking  the  river,  and  much  of 
the  early  Norman  Cathedral,  where  he  estab- 
lished a  strong  colony  of  Benedictine  monks. 
His  huge,  rugged  tower,  at  one  time  more  than 
sixty  feet  high,  still  stands  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Cathedral  and  has  been  the  puzzle  of  an- 
tiquarians. Whether  built  for  defense  or  for 
bells  is  uncertain.  It  was  unquestionably  used 
for  bells  and  was  as  certainly  built  before  the 
church.  It  was  a  melancholy  deed  of  the  Dean 
and  Chapter  in  the  early  nineteenth  century  to 
use  some  of  the  stones  of  this  venerable  tower 
for  repairs  to  the  Cathedral. 

The  close  connection  between  Rochester  and 
Canterbury  is  obvious  from  their  history.  Lan- 
franc  had  scarcely  finished  the  Norman  Cathe- 
dral at  Canterbury  when  Gundulph  began  his 
work  at  Rochester  about  1080.  When  Anselm 
pulled  down  Lanfranc's  choir  to  enlarge  it  he 
put  Prior  Ernulf  in  charge  of  the  work,  but 
Ernulf  later  became  Bishop  of  Rochester,  and 
it  fell  to  his  lot  and  that  of  his  later  associates 
to  rebuild  and  complete  Gundulph's  nave.  It 
is  not  unlikely,  therefore,  that  Rochester's 
beautiful  nave  conveys  to  us  some  idea  of  what 
Canterbury's  choir  may  have  been  in  its  early 
years. 

58 


CHOIR,    ROCHESTER    CATHEDRAL. 


ROCHESTER 

Norman  times  under  Henry  I  saw  Roches- 
ter Cathedral  at  the  mercy  of  two  devastating 
fires.  The  horrified  chronicler,  still  under  the 
spell  of  the  church's  dedication  and  the  King's 
presence,  naively  records  that  "a  dreadful  con- 
flagration broke  out  and  without  any  regard 
to  the  Majesty  of  the  King,  grandeur  of  the 
Church,  or  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  laid  the 
city  in  ashes  and  much  damaged  the  new 
church!"  It  was  especially  tragic,  for  Eng- 
land was  deprived  of  one  more  complete  Nor- 
man monument,  though  the  growing  ambitions 
of  the  people  and  the  recent  beautiful  work  of 
the  "two  Williams"  at  Canterbury  doubtless 
made  them  welcome  the  new  pointed  style.  We 
are  told  that  the  sacrist  William  de  Hoo  in- 
itiated the  architectural  scheme  of  this  new  de- 
parture, and  tradition  has  been  busy  in  identi- 
fying him  with  "English  William"  of  Canter- 
bury, finding  many  parallels  in  the  work  of 
the  two  men. 

The  stern  Norman  architecture  with  its 
heavy  round  arches  and  solid  walls  has  been 
likened  to  the  dominant  Norman  himself,  hold- 
ing the  country  in  his  tight  grasp.  Perchance, 
as  William  de  Hoo's  pointed  arches  and  grace- 
ful vaulted  roofs  began  to  rise  above  the  choir, 

59 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

monks  and  people  nnconscioiisly  breathed 
more  freely  and  were  reconciled  to  the  change. 

A  somber  and  unlooked-for  event  at  this 
time  gave  the  Ccthedral  a  "practical"  saint, 
one  more  immediatelj^  profitable  than  its  pa- 
tron, St.  Andrew!  A  pious  Scotch  baker, 
William  of  Perth,  whose  charity  of  one  loaf  in 
ten  for  the  poor  had  already  established  a 
twelfth-century  "bread  line,"  set  forth  in  1201 
on  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land,  possibly 
to  be  interpreted  as  Canterbury.  His  road  lay 
through  Rochester,  but  just  beyond  the  town 
he  was  murdered  by  his  seryant,  who  robbed 
him  and  fled.  The  Rochester  monks  conveyed 
the  body  of  this  holy  pilgrim  to  the  Cathedral 
and  biu'ied  it  in  the  choir,  where  "he  moalded 
miracles  plentifully"  at  his  tomb,  so  that  "St. 
William,"  for  he  was  afterward  canonized,  de- 
veloped a  career  least  thought  of  by  himself. 
He  became  the  munificent  patron  of  the  Cathe- 
dral, the  offerings  at  his  shrine  making  good 
the  loss  which  the  church  had  suffered  by  fire. 

But  for  one  patron  in  the  thirteenth  century 
the  Cathedral  encountered  two  despoilers. 
After  King  John  had  successfully  besieged  his 
rebellious  barons  in  Rochester  Castle  in  1215, 
he  celebrated  his  victory  by  plundering  the 

60 


ROCHESTER 

Cathedral  till  there  was  "not  a  pyx"  left  for 
use  in  the  Holy  Sacrament.  Fift}^  years  later, 
on  Good  Friday,  the  Cathedral  again  bowed 
to  its  fate,  when,  after  the  capture  of  the  city 
by  the  troops  of  Simon  de  Montfort,  armed 
horsemen  "coursed  around  the  altars," 
dragged  away  the  monks,  robbed  and  mur- 
dered, and  turned  church  and  monastic  build- 
ings into  stables.  It  is  pleasant  to  remember 
that  in  this  same  thirteenth  century  a  peaceful 
bishop,  Walter  de  Merton,  founded  the  oldest 
college  at  Oxford.  His  tomb  in  the  eastern 
transept  of  the  Cathedral  is  still  under  the  care 
of  Merton  College.  It  suffered  both  in  the 
Reformation  and  in  the  Civil  Wars,  though 
the  Cathedral  as  a  whole  escaped  w^ith  only 
minor  injuries. 

These  pictures  of  the  past  flit  through  j^our 
mind  as  you  come  down  from  the  ramparts  of 
the  grim  castle  and  follow  the  winding  road  to 
the  Cathedral.  The  time-worn  statues  of 
Henry  I  or  II  and  his  queen  which  greet  you 
on  both  sides  of  the  great  west  entrance  are 
two  of  the  oldest  in  England,  and  the  doorway 
itself  is  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  Norman 
workmanship  to  be  found  anyv^^here,  with  its 
varied  and  elaborately  ornamented  moldings 

61 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

spanning  the  quaint  tympanum  above  the  in- 
geniously carved  capitals.  It  has  been  likened 
to  the  architecture  of  Southern  France,  and  its 
rich  ornamentation  is  almost  Saracenic.  A 
flight  of  four  steps  leads  down  into  the  church, 
and  after  your  first  glance  at  the  short  Nor- 
man nave  and  its  unusual  decorative  features, 
you  notice  at  once  the  incongruous  appearance 
of  the  large  clerestory  windows,  which  are  en- 
tirely unrelated  to  the  arches  below  them. 
These,  with  the  flat  wooden  roof  of  the  same 
date  and  great  west  window,  are  evidence  of 
the  enthusiasm  for  Perpendicular  Gothic 
which  prevailed  in  the  fifteenth  century.  In 
Rochester's  somber  climate  the  Norman  church 
was  doubtless  none  too  cheerful,  and  new  fash- 
ions which  promised  more  light  would  be  read- 
ily accepted. 

Fortunately,  in  still  earlier  times,  some  guid- 
ance, probably  lack  of  funds,  saved  the  fine  old 
nave  on  which  Gundulph  and  Ernulf  and 
Bishop  John  had  lavished  so  much  skill,  and 
you  study  with  delight  the  great  variety  of 
moldings,  billet,  cable  and  others,  on  the  inside 
of  the  west  front,  and  a  beautiful  little  Nor- 
man doorway  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
nave.     The  scalloped  capitals  occurring  here 

62 


ROCHESTER 

and  on  the  pillars  of  the  nave,  with  the  elabo- 
rate carving  of  the  great  arches,  are  charming 
examples  of  fine  late  Norman  work.  Gun- 
dulph's  share  can  be  seen  in  the  south  aisle, 
where  the  arches  are  perfectly  plain,  but 
in  the  nave  the  later  builders  in  the  early 
twelfth  century  cased  his  work  with  fine 
Caen  stone  and  reveled  in  decorative  ef- 
fects. Most  striking  of  these  is  the  upper 
part  of  the  triforium,  where  the  heads  of 
the  main  arches  are  filled  in  with  stone  and 
carved  in  a  great  variety  of  patterns,  giving  to 
the  nave  an  almost  Oriental  richness,  and  sug- 
gesting its  far-distant  Byzantine  ancestry. 
The  triforium,  you  notice,  opens  into  the  aisle, 
a  very  unusual  feature,  but  found  also  in  St. 
Stephen's  Church  at  Caen,  Normandy,  where 
Lanfranc  was  once  abbot.  Only  six  of  the 
eight  bays  of  the  nave  are  Norman,  and  even 
these  had  a  narrow  escape,  for  we  learn  that 
the  last  bay  of  the  triforium  on  each  side  east- 
ward, while  apparently  Norman,  is  really  by 
masons  of  the  Decorated  Gothic  period,  re- 
placed when  it  was  decided  to  retain  the  old 
work.  Just  below,  where  the  two  styles  face 
each  other  under  the  sixth  arch,  is  a  beautiful 
capital  of  carved  Decorated  foliage.     At  this 

63 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

point  tlie  two  tall  arches  of  the  later  builders 
cut  off  the  triforium  entirely. 

In  Rochester  you  feel  the  essential  difference 
between  Norman  and  Gothic.  The  Gothic 
principle  of  a  building  held  aloft  by  its  skill- 
fully constructed  framework  cannot  be  success- 
fully applied  when  new  work  is  patched  on  the 
old,  as  in  Rochester's  nave  and  also  in  William 
de  Hoo's  Early  English  choir,  where  he  re- 
tained the  thick  Norman  walls  separating  the 
choir  from  its  aisles  and  allowed  his  Early 
English  clerestory  to  rest  upon  them.  There 
is  no  triforium.  A  blind  arcade  of  Early  Eng- 
lish arches  upon  the  face  of  the  solid  Norman 
walls  takes  its  place.  The  choir  is  entirely  cut 
off  from  its  aisles  and  these  in  turn  are  sepa- 
rated by  heavy  walls  from  the  eastern  tran- 
sept, for  the  church  is  in  form  a  double 
cross.  Moreover,  Gundulph's  old  crypt  raised 
the  choir  to  a  considerable  height,  as  at  Canter- 
bury, and  the  heavy  screen  which  divides  it 
from  the  nave,  with  the  flight  of  steps  leading 
up  to  it,  forms  another  wall  of  separation,  so 
that  the  church  does  not  get  the  benefit  of  its 
actual  size,  small  as  it  is,  but  suggests  a  series 
of  semi-detached  apartments,  somewhat  typi- 
cal of  the  attitude  of  the  monks  and  townspeo- 

64 


ROCHESTER 

pie,  who  did  not  always  illustrate  the  graces 
of  Christian  charity.  The  monks  worshiped 
behind  their  screen,  and  the  parish  of  St.  Nich- 
olas possessed  the  nave,  and  many  were  the  dis- 
putes between  them,  ended  only  by  the  erection 
of  a  separate  church  in  the  cemetery  to  the 
north.  A  relic  of  these  old  days  still  survives 
in  the  right  of  the  mayor  and  corporation  on 
occasion  to  enter  the  Cathedral  by  the  great 
west  door,  in  all  the  pomp  of  their  civic  au- 
thority. Rochester  was  on  the  highway  to 
Canterbury  and  the  Continent.  Fear  of  the 
crowds  passing  through  may  have  contributed 
to  the  isolation  of  the  choir  from  the  rest  of  the 
Cathedral. 

Entrance  to  the  choir  is  through  the  four- 
teenth-century doorway  of  the  heavy  screen, 
which  was  decorated  with  historic  figures  in  the 
last  century  as  a  memorial  to  the  late  Dean 
Scott,  one  of  the  compilers  of  Liddell  and 
Scott's  famous  lexicon.  Saints  Andrew,  Jus- 
tus and  Paulinus,  with  King  Ethelbert,  repre- 
sent Rochester's  early  traditions ;  Bishop  Gun- 
dulph,  William  de  Hoo,  Bishop  de  Merton, 
and  Cardinal  Fisher  her  most  famous  builders 
and  bishops.  Gundulph  holding  a  model  of 
his  cathedral  seems  here  to  have  been  endowed 

65 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

with  second  sight,  for  the  small  model  displays 
prominently  the  Perpendicular  windows  of  the 
present  church.  Within  the  choir  you  seem  in 
another  church.  There  is  much  fine  carving 
here  of  the  dark  marble  shafts  so  freely  used. 
The  graceful  clerestory  with  its  dog  tooth 
moldings,  a  marked  Early  English  feature, 
and  the  blind  arcades  which  take  the  place  of 
the  triforium,  are  well  worth  attention.  The 
brilliant  wall  decoration  above  the  choir  stalls, 
though  modern,  is  a  repetition  of  an  ancient 
pattern  discovered  behind  the  stalls.  Its  fleurs 
de  lis  and  rampant  lions  are  quite  probably  an 
appreciative  memory  of  the  French  wars,  and 
of  John  II  of  France,  who,  captured  by  the 
Black  Prince  at  Poictiers  and  brought  to  Eng- 
land, returned  to  his  own  country  in  1360.  He 
must  have  been  glad  enough  to  get  out  of  Eng- 
land, and  his  gift  of  sixty  crowns  to  Rochester 
by  the  way  was  doubtless  a  thank-offering! 
Another  ancient  bit  of  painting,  part  of  a  thir- 
teenth-century fresco  of  a  wheel  of  fortune, 
was  found  hidden  behind  a  pulpit.  The  fickle 
goddess  is  portrayed  watching  her  votaries 
rise,  and  the  missing  portion  doubtless  made 
evident  the  fleeting  nature  of  worldly  success. 
One  can  fancy  the  long  and  pathetic  procession 

66 


ROCHESTER 

of  monks,  who,  day  after  day  through  the  cen- 
turies, contemplated  this  fresco  and  thereby 
subdued  their  human  aspirations. 

You  must  notice  one  or  two  exceptionally 
fine  windows  of  the  Decorated  Gothic  pe- 
riod in  this  part  of  the  church,  and,  most  im- 
portant of  all,  the  beautiful  Chapter  House 
doorwa}^  with  its  graceful  ogee  arch,  be- 
neath which  is  the  ball-flower  ornament,  both 
very  characteristic  Decorated  features.  At 
the  top  of  the  door  is  a  tiny  nude  figure 
of  a  soul  just  freed  from  purgatory,  with 
angels  just  beneath.  The  lowest  figure  on  the 
right,  a  woman  blindfolded,  represents  the  Old 
Dispensation,  and  that  on  the  left  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  The  latter  was  headless  in  the 
early  nineteenth  century  and  for  fifty  years 
thereafter  bore  uncomplainingly  a  bearded 
bishop's  head.  In  1897  its  "rights"  were  con- 
ceded, and  a  female  head  substituted  for  that 
of  the  bishop!  Bishop  Hamo  de  Hythe,  to 
whom  the  Decorated  work  in  the  choir  is  at- 
tributed, also  built  the  central  tower  in  1346, 
and  placing  in  it  four  bells,  named  them  with 
due  reverence  Dunstan,  Paulinus,  Ythamar 
and  Lanfranc. 

From  the  Chapter  House  door  we  return 
67 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

through  the  south  choir  aisle  and  pass  down 
into  the  crypt.  Gundulph's  crypt  is  entirely 
taken  up  by  the  mechanism  of  the  organ,  and 
its  Norman  pillars  are  scarcely  visible  in  the 
gloom,  but  the  later  Early  English  portion  is 
very  imposing.  Traces  of  painting  and  sites 
of  old  altars  show  how  extensively  it  was  once 
used.  Dickens,  in  his  "Mystery  of  Edwin 
Drood,"  takes  Jasper  and  Durdles  down  into 
the  crypt  by  moonlight,  and  as  they  come  up 
the  colors  of  the  stained-glass  windows  are 
thrown  upon  their  faces  with  weird  effect. 

Before  leaving  the  Cathedral  by  the  side 
door,  we  linger  to  read  the  tablet  to  Dickens  on 
the  wall  of  the  south  transept.  He  wished  to 
sleep  in  the  neighboring  chin-chyard,  but  Eng- 
land claimed  her  right  to  his  grave  in  West- 
minster Abbey.  Just  above  his  tablet  memo- 
rial windows  to  General  Gordon  and  his  asso- 
ciates who  fell  in  the  Egyptian  campaign,  have 
been  placed  by  the  Royal  Engineers,  who  also 
erected  a  fine  bronze  statue  to  Gordon  at 
Chatham,  close  to  Rochester. 

One  more  trace  of  the  Cathedral's  youth  we 
must  see  in  the  crumbling  arches  of  Ernulf's 
Chapter  House  and  dormitory,  southeast  of 
the  Cathedral,  still  marked  with  his  character- 

68 


ROCHESTER 

istic  diaper  pattern,  and  even  in  their  decay 
testifying  to  his  artistic  skill.  Not  far  distant 
a  plain  old  building,  near  the  Prior's  Gateway, 
now  used  for  dwelling  houses,  is  all  that  re- 
mains of  the  early  Episcopal  palace,  the  home 
of  Bishop  John  Fisher,  the  greatest  of  Roch- 
ester's bishops  and  the  last  to  live  here.  As 
Chancellor  of  the  University  of  Cambridge  he 
was  distinguished  for  "grete  and  singular  vir- 
tue," and  as  bishop  lent  his  strength  to  Eras- 
mus, welcoming  him  to  his  home  when  the  New 
Testament  in  English  was  struggling  for  rec- 
ognition. He  anticipated  the  progressive  the- 
ology of  our  own  day  when  he  calmly  insisted 
upon  the  use  of  reason  in  religion.  Then,  in 
the  supreme  test  of  Henry  VIII's  time,  the 
old  bishop  refusing  to  sanction  the  King's 
divorce  from  Catherine  and  his  absolutism  ex- 
pressed in  the  Act  of  Supremacy,  went  to  the 
scaffold,  and  as  he  knelt,  opened  his  New  Tes- 
tament at  random  and  read,  "This  is  life  eter- 
nal, to  know  thee,  the  only  true  God."  His 
grave  is  not  in  Rochester,  but  beside  that  of 
Sir  Thomas  jNIore  in  the  gloomy  chapel  of  St. 
Peter  ad  Vincula  in  the  Tower  of  London. 
Nicholas  Ridley,  the  companion  martyr  of 
Latimer  at  Oxford,  was  bishop  here  for  three 

69 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

years  before  he  became  bishop  of  London  in 
1550. 

Just  inside  the  Prior's  Gateway  stands 
Minor  Canon  Row.  Here  Dickens  located  his 
high-minded,  athletic,  "classical,  cheerful" 
young  Canon  Crisparkle,  who,  with  his  charm- 
ing old  mother,  "the  china  shepherdess,"  play 
such  an  important  role  in  the  "Mystery  of  Ed- 
win Drood."  The  houses  are  so  much  alike  that 
you  make  your  own  selection.  "Red  brick 
walls  harmoniously  toned  down  in  color  by 
time,  strong  rooted  ivy,  latticed  windows, 
paneled  rooms,  big  oaken  beams  in  little  places 
and  stone-walled  gardens  where  annual  fruit 
yet  ripened  on  monkish  trees."  Glancing  in  at 
a  friendly  window,  you  picture  the  inimitable 
scene  of  the  dinner  party  when  the  pompous 
Mr.  Honeythunder  and  his  wards  make  their 
first  appearance,  the  oppressive  philanthropist 
finally  reducing  his  hosts  and  fellow-guests  to 
"a  sort  of  gelatinous  state  in  which  there  was 
no  flavor  or  solidity  and  very  little  resistance." 
You  are  liable  to  meet  Durdles  anywhere  about 
here  as  he  trundles  his  wheelbarrow,  in- 
tent upon  neglected  tree  trunks,  pruning 
and  cutting,  and  you  can  see  for  your- 
self   how    Dickens    has  imparted    his    own 

70 


ROCHESTER 

peculiar  flavor  to  the  native  traits  of 
Durdles.  Through  the  Prior's  Gateway  you 
find  your  way  into  the  ancient  vineyard, 
now  a  well-kept  park  known  as  The  Vines, 
where  the  Princess  Puffer  has  her  mem- 
orable interview  with  Edwin  Drood,  which 
sends  him  off  with  misgivings  in  his  heart  to 
walk  over  the  long  bridge  till  dinner  time,  while 
"the  woman's  words  are  in  the  rising  wind,  in 
the  angry  sky,  in  the  troubled  water,  in  the 
flickering  light."  Dickens  visited  The  Vines 
only  a  few  days  before  his  death,  and  the  last 
chapter  which  he  wrote  again  portrayed  the 
Princess  Puffer  in  the  park,  this  time  on  a  still 
hunt  for  Jasper,  when  she  reveals  to  Datchery 
her  former  conversation  with  Edwin,  and  the 
plot  thickens.  Emerging  from  the  park  into 
Crow  Lane  you  pass  close  to  the  former  site 
of  the  "Traveller's  Twopenny,"  recalling 
"Winks,"  the  graceless  imp,  its  "manservant," 
who  earns  an  honest  ha'penny  at  night  by  ston- 
ing Durdles  home  if  he  "ketches  'im  out  after 
ten."  Crow  Lane  runs  into  High  Street, 
Dickens's  "one  narrow  street  in  Cloisterham 
by  which  you  get  into  it  and  get  out  of  it." 
On  the  right  looms  up  the  house  of  Mr.  Sapsea, 
Auctioneer,  "the  purest  Jackass  in  Cloister- 

71 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

ham,"  who  apes  the  Dean  in  dress  and  man- 
ner, "has  been  bowed  to  for  the  Dean,  m  mis- 
take; has  even  been  spoken  to  in  the  street  as 
My  Lord,  under  the  impression  that  he  was  the 
Bishop  come  down  unexpectedly  without  his 
Chaplain,"  and  just  across  the  way  you  discern 
the  Nun's  House,  through  whose  garden  you 
stroll,  seeing  in  fancy  the  sinister  figure  of  the 
snake-like  Jasper  leaning  on  the  sun  dial  while 
timid  little  Rosa  flees  to  the  house  in  horror  at 
his  advances.  The  house,  now  the  Eastgate 
Museum,  has  lost  all  traces  of  its  boarding- 
school  days  under  prim  Miss  Twinkleton,  when 
with  its  resplendent  brass  sign  it  "reminded 
imaginative  strangers  of  a  battered  old  beau 
with  a  large  modern  eye-glass  stuck  in  his  blind 
eye."  Slowly  you  ramble  along  the  High 
Street,  drawn  by  an  irresistible  fascination,  to 
the  very  citadel  of  the  story^  Jasper's  Gateway, 
above  which  so  many  thrilling  scenes  were  en- 
acted and  beneath  which,  with  "everything  as 
quaintly  inconvenient  as  he  could  desire," 
dwelt  the  detective,  Datchery,  "a  single  buffer, 
living  idly  on  his  means"  and  all  under  the 
friendly  guardianship  of  good  Mrs.  Tope  and 
the  venerable  verger,  endeared  to  the  commu- 
nity as  "Old  Tope."    Like  Winks,  you  elude 

72 


ROCHESTER 

the  vigilance  of  Old  Tope  and  slip  once  more 
into  the  Cathedral,  reflecting  there  upon  the 
wonders  of  the  human  imagination  which  could 
people  the  venerable  city  with  a  group  of 
spirits  who  never  shared  its  material  existence, 
yet  are  as  much  a  part  of  its  history  as  those 
who  in  actual  life  walked  its  ancient  streets. 


73 


PLAN  or 
WChZ5ini  CATrtEDRAL 


(1)  TOnP  OF  PlSH- 
OP  WALTtRDt 
riER-TON 

'•'^'oFSTWIUlAn 
OF  PERTH 


RU!N5<" 
CHAPT-R 
H0U5E. 


BRIEF    SUMMARY    FOR    THE    TRAVELER 

Cathedral  begun  about  1080.     Chiefly  Norman  and 
Early  English. 

Plan :    A  double  cross. 

Nave  (1080-1137  ?) 

Norman,  in  six  of  the  eight  bays.  Gundulph's  early 
work,  1080,  in  south  aisle.  Later  builders  in  early  12th 
century  cased  his  work  with  fine  Caen  stone  and  carved 
it  richly.  Arches  of  nave  carved  with  zigzag  and  other 
moldings.  Capitals  of  piers  scalloped.  Triforium 
opens  into  aisle,  very  unusual.  Triforium  has  two 
arches,  with  containing  arch  above.  Beneath  this  arch 
the  space  is  filled  in  and  carved  in  diaper  patterns  in 
great  variety  around  a  central  ornament. 

Western  wall  enriched  with  billet,  cable  and  other 
moldings  and  blind  arches.  Very  beautiful  Norman  door- 
way in  southwest  corner.  Norman  windows  in  aisles. 
Two  eastern  bays  of  nave  Early  Decorated  Gothic  lat- 
ter part  of  13th  century.  Decorated  capital  under  sixth 
arch.     No  triforium  in  the  Gothic  work. 

Perpendicular  windows  in  clerestory  and  in  west 
front  about  1470,  also  the  flat  wooden  roof  about  the 
same  time. 

External  fa9ade  chiefly  Norman  or  restoration  of  Nor- 
man work.  Design  more  effective  than  fronts  of  many 
cathedrals.  Low  aisle  ends  make  the  towers  more  im- 
posing.     Great    central    doorway,    finest    example    of    a 

75 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Norman  doorAva}^  with  tympanum.  Five  receding 
arches,  rich  carving,  and  two  of  the  oldest  statues  in 
England. 

Cloisters  (1115-24) 

Late  Norman.  Ernulf's  work.  Chapter  House  wall 
with  three  open  arches  formed  M'est  wall  of  oblong  chap- 
ter house.  Walled-in  arches  below  represent  part  used 
for  burials.  Ernulf's  diaper  pattern  in  spandrels  of 
central  upper  arch.  Adjoining  are  arches  of  dormitory 
wall. 

Crypt  (12th  century  Norman  and  13th  century  Early  English) 

Old  Norman  in  western  part,  now  occupied  by  the 
organ.  Circular  columns  with  cushion  capitals.  Eastern 
part  Early  English  circular  and  octagonal  columns, 
plain  bell-shaped  capitals  with  round  abacus.  Traces 
of  painting  and  old  altars. 

Choir  (1200-27) 

Early  English.  Presbytery  and  eastern  transepts 
built  first.  No  triforium.  Tall  arches  carry  clerestory 
in  Presbytery.  East  windows  are  restorations  of  the 
19th  century.  Here  also  are  windows  of  lancet  shape 
but  tracery  of  the  Late  Decorated  period. 

Doorway  into  Chapter  House  one  of  the  finest  pieces 
of  Decorated  Gothic  in  England,  middle  of  11th  cen- 
tury; characteristic  ogee  arch  and  ball  flower  orna- 
ment. 

The  choir  proper  is  inclosed  by  old  Norman  walls. 
Early  English  clerestory  rests  upon  them.  No  triforium, 
blind   arcade   instead.      Dog-tooth   and   billet   moldings. 

76 


ROCHESTER 

Each  single  clerestory  window  has  a  triple  screen  in 
front.  Wheel  of  Fortune  Fresco  on  choir  wall  prob- 
ably 13th  century.  Carved  Purbeck  marble  corbels  un- 
der slender  vaulting  shafts.  Ancient  wall  pattern  14th 
century  behind  stalls  reproduced  in  modern  choir. 

North  choir  aisle  has  stone  steps  to  Shrine  of  St. 
William,  also  door  leading  to  Gundulph's  tower.  Choir 
screen  very  recently  decorated  with  figures.  Height  of 
choir  due  to  crypt,  as  at  Canterbury. 

North  Transept  (about  1235) 

Early  English.  Clerestory  lancets  have  screens  in 
front  of  wall  passage.  Much  use  of  dark  marble  shafts 
in  both  transepts. 

South  Transept  (about  1280) 

Early  Decorated  period.  But  lancet  windows  on 
south  wall  and  dog  tooth  ornament  show  earl}^  English 
characteristics.  Geometrical  windows  on  west  wall  in- 
dicate Early  Decorated  period.  In  east  wall  two  bays 
formed  into  a  wide  arch  about  1320,  making  a  recess 
for  an  altar  to  the  Virgin,  this  transept  served  as  a 
Lady  Chapel.  Lower  south  windows  commemorate  Gen- 
eral Gordon  and  members  of  his  Egyptian  Corps.  Tab- 
let to  Dickens  on  south  wall. 

Central  Tower  (1343) 

Originally  crowned  with  wooden  spire.  Rebuilt  in 
171'9  and  again  some  80  years  later.  In  early  20th  cen- 
tury the  top  was  altered  from  a  square-pinnacled  tower 
to  its  original  form  of  a  pointed  spire. 

77 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Lady  Chapel  (about  1490) 

Perpendicular  style.  The  so-called  Lady  Chapel  ad- 
joining the  south  transept  on  the  west  was  built  in  the 
15th  century  as  a  choir  for  the  altar  to  the  Virgin  in  the 
south  transept. 


78 


Copyriglit,  Pliotochrcjiue  Co.,  Ltd.,  Lonilon. 

WEST    FRONT,    LINCOLN    CATHEDRAL. 


CHAPTER    IV 

LINCOLN 

FEW  English  cathedrals  can  compare 
with  Lincoln  in  the  splendor  of  its  situ- 
ation. As  you  stand  by  the  banks  of  the 
river  Witham  in  the  "lower  town,"  you  look 
up  the  steep  sides  of  a  huge,  abrupt  hill-top 
forming  a  citadel  that  Agamemnon  might 
have  envied.  The  Cathedral,  with  its  straight, 
strong  lines  and  square  towers,  nobly  crowns 
the  height,  and  seems  conscious  of  its  protect- 
ing powers,  looking  securely  down  upon  the 
city  clustering  at  its  feet,  or  off  at  the  wide- 
spreading  fen  land  where  countless  toilers  take 
heart  at  sight  of  its  mighty  central  tower,  the 
highest  in  all  England. 

With  such  a  situation  it  is  very  evident  why 
Lincoln  became  an  important  Roman  colony, 
five  main  roads  centering  in  the  town.  Frag- 
ments of  the  old  Roman  walls  are  still  pointed 
out,  and  one  imposing  Roman  gateway,  the 

79 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

last  but  one  in  Eingland.  After  the  Romans 
withdrew,  the  rude  folk  of  the  Lincolnshire 
fens  took  a  hand  in  the  duel  fought  by  Briton 
and  Saxon  for  this  coveted  retreat.  Then  fol- 
lowed the  missionary.  Ultimately  to  be  driven 
from  his  northern  field,  came  Paulinus,  Bishop 
of  York,  whose  tall,  slender  form  and  black 
hair  must  have  contrasted  strikingly  with  the 
sturdiness  of  his  fair-haired  Saxon  flock. 
Blecca,  the  "prefect"  of  Lincoln,  became  a  con- 
vert, and  about  the  year  628  erected  a  stone 
church  for  his  fellow-Christians.  This  ancient 
foundation  is  still  perpetuated  in  the  church  of 
St.  Paul  in  the  city,  but  the  pedigree  of  the 
present  minster  goes  back  to  the  church  of  St. 
Mary  at  Stow,  eleven  miles  northwest  of  Lin- 
coln. On  the  site  of  this  little  village  was  the 
ancient  Sidnacester,  which  became  the 
"bishop's  stool"  of  the  diocese  for  two  hundred 
years,  till  the  Danes  burned  the  church  and  the 
bishops  retired  to  Dorchester  on  the  Thames. 
By  the  time  of  William  the  Norman,  Lincoln 
had  become  the  fourth  city  in  the  kingdom.  To 
the  Conqueror's  mind  a  Norman  castle  was  a 
suitable  ornament  for  its  formidable  hilltop, 
and  he  ordered  scores  of  modest  dwellings 
within  the  Roman  walls  to  be  torn  down,  while 

80 


LINCOLN 

the  grim  Norman  keep  rose  on  their  ruins.  In 
the  plain  below  can  be  seen  to-day  the  towers 
of  two  ancient  Saxon  churches  built  for  the 
evicted  tenants,  tragic  reminders  of  their  need 
of  religious  consolation. 

One  of  William's  followers  was  Remigius, 
a  monk,  almoner  of  the  Norman  monastery  of 
Fecamp,  who  had  furnished  one  ship  with 
twenty  knights  for  the  invasion  of  England. 
At  the  death  of  the  Saxon  bishop  of  Dorches- 
ter Remigius  succeeded  him,  and  when  the  de- 
cree went  forth  in  1072  that  bishops  should 
dwell  in  walled  towns,  he  naturally  turned  to 
Lincoln.  It  was  a  fortress-like  church  that 
Remigius  reared  just  east  of  William's  castle. 
The  wall  of  its  apse,  some  eight  feet  thick,  was 
typical  of  the  whole  structure.  A  fire  fifty 
years  after  his  death  burned  the  roof,  and  the 
falling  timbers  broke  the  slab  of  his  tomb.  It 
was  left  for  Bishop  Alexander  the  Magnificent 
to  repair  the  cathedral  and  enrich  it  with  beau- 
tiful late  Norman  work.  Alexander  was  a 
nephew  of  that  Bishop  Roger  of  Salisbury 
whose  numerous  castles  had  excited  the  suspi- 
cions of  King  Stephen.  Alexander,  it  would 
seem,  had  his  "princely"  qualities  also,  and 
Stephen  treacherously  seized  the  possessions 

81 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

of  both  uncle  and  nephew.  But  the  king's  turn 
came  soon,  for  in  his  struggle  for  the  throne 
against  the  claims  of  Matilda,  her  champions 
seized  Lincoln  Castle  and  Stephen  was  fain 
to  take  refuge  in  the  cathedral,  which  he 
sacrilegiously  fortified.  Omens  of  evil  were 
soon  observed.  A  wax  candle  offered  by  the 
King  broke  as  it  was  being  handed  to  the 
Bishop,  and  the  chain  supporting  the  pyx 
snapped  asunder.  In  the  battle  which  fol- 
lowed, Stephen  was  captured  and  the  city 
plundered.  The  Norman  church  stood  until 
1185,  when  in  the  great  earthquake  which  was 
felt  throughout  England  "the  minster  was 
cleft  from  top  to  bottom." 

As  you  walk  up  from  the  river  bank 
through  High  Street  and  climb  the  street 
named,  for  its  chief  characteristic,  "Steep 
Hill,"  you  gain  the  summit  at  a  point  mid- 
way between  castle  and  cathedral.  In  front 
of  you  stands  the  fine  old  "Exchequer  Gate," 
built  in  the  fourteenth  century,  and  as  you 
pass  under  it  you  are  face  to  face  with  the 
towering  west  front  of  the  cathedral,  one  of 
the  most  imposing  in  England.  Salisbury's 
west  front  at  once  occurs  to  you.  Indeed,  the 
arrangement  of  Lincoln's  great  stone  screen 

82 


LINCOLN 

seems  less  justifiable  than  that  of  Salisbury, 
for  these  two  noble  western  towers  offered  a 
fine  opportunity  for  a  great  design  instead 
of  being  half  hidden  by  the  huge  wall  which 
in  no  sense  suggests  the  structure  of  the 
cathedral  behind  it. 

But  this  whole  front  is  immensely  interest- 
ing. You  can,  in  fancy,  take  it  apart  like  a 
dissected  map.  Those  three  round  arches, 
except  the  upper  part  of  the  central  one,  al- 
tered at  a  later  time,  were  built  by  Remigius 
in  the  eleventh  century,  but  the  Norman  door- 
way in  the  central  arch  and  the  tAvo  adjoining 
it  were  inserted  by  Bishop  Alexander  more 
than  fifty  years  later.  Look  closely  at  the 
stone  work  and  you  will  see  the  difference 
between  the  older  "wide- jointed"  masonry 
where  mortar  is  used  very  liberally  and 
Bishop  Alexander's  finely  jointed  doorway. 
These  doorways  with  their  exquisite  carvings 
are  among  the  finest  examples  of  their  kind — 
late  Norman  just  before  it  passed  into  the 
Early  English.  In  studying  the  central  door- 
way, notice  the  freedom  of  these  early  build- 
ers. They  delighted  in  variety.  No  two 
shafts  are  alike,  and  on  one  side  of  the  door 
you  see  scalloped  capitals  while  on  the  other 

83 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

their  shape  is  very  closely  akin  to  the  Corin- 
thian capitals  of  classic  architecture.  The 
abacus,  you  observe,  is  square.  The  round 
form  had  not  yet  made  its  appearance.  Just 
above  the  two  smaller  side  arches  you  discover 
some  quaint  old  Saxon  or  Norman  carvings 
set  into  the  stonework.  Their  origin  is  un- 
certain. The  subjects  are  all  Biblical;  Noah 
and  the  Ark  with  attendant  animals,  Daniel 
in  the  lion's  den,  and  other  scriptural 
worthies,  are  portrayed  with  an  enthusiasm 
which  is  delightful.  In  spite  of  crudities  the 
work  is  very  effective  as  a  bit  of  architectural 
detail.  On  each  side  of  the  central  doorway, 
just  above  the  round  arches,  are  short  bands 
of  wall  arcading.  These  are  part  of  Bishop 
Alexander's  Norman  work.  He  also  built 
the  two  west  towers  to  a  point  just  above 
their  three  rows  of  arcading,  but  here  the 
Norman  features  cease.  The  gable  above  the 
end  of  the  nave  roof  was  lower  in  his  day  and 
the  arch  lower  and  rounder.  Now  pass 
around  for  a  moment  to  the  south  side  of  the 
cathedral  and  you  will  notice  on  the  side  of 
the  south  tower  a  Norman  gable  composed 
of  rows  of  arcading.  It  is  quite  probable 
that   something   similar   to   this   was   once   a 

84 


LINCOLN 

feature  of  the  front  of  each  tower  before  the 
great  screen  was  built.  In  imagination  we 
can  almost  construct  for  ourselves  the  Nor- 
man front  of  Bishop  Alexander's  time. 

Within  a  year  of  the  great  earthquake 
which  shattered  the  Xorman  church,  a  re- 
markable man  was  appointed  to  the  bishopric. 
Hugh  of  Avalon  was  a  Frenchman,  the  son 
of  a  noble  living  at  Avalon  near  Grenoble 
in  Burgundy.  In  his  young  manhood  Hugh 
had  entered  the  priory  near  his  father's  cas- 
tle, but  was  later  transferred  to  the  Grand 
Chartreuse,  where  he  became  bursar  of  that 
famous  Carthusian  monastery.  Conspicuous 
for  his  abilities,  it  was  not  strange  that  when 
a  new  monastery  of  this  order  was  to  be  estab- 
lished in  Witliam,  Somersetshire,  Henry  II 
should  send  ambassadors  to  secure  him  as  its 
first  prior.  For  ten  years  Hugh  ruled  his 
quiet  English  monastery;  then  the  bishopric 
of  Lincoln  fell  vacant  and  the  King  prevailed 
upon  him  to  take  the  post.  Hugh  reluctantly 
agreed  to  the  change.  He  had  deep  convic- 
tions as  to  the  responsibilities  of  a  bishop,  and 
Henry  realized  the  sort  of  man  he  had  to  deal 
with  when,  for  just  cause.  Bishop  Hugh  ex- 
communicated the  King's  chief  forester.    Nor 

85 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

did  he  hesitate  to  refuse  to  bestow  a  cathedral 
position  upon  one  of  Henry's  favorites. 
Richard  I  also  felt  the  temper  of  his  Lincoln 
prelate,  when  at  a  council  in  Oxford  Hugh 
and  the  Bishop  of  Salisbury  alone  opposed  a 
grant  for  the  King's  foreign  wars  and 
"spoke  up  for  the  laws  and  rights  of  English- 
men." But  this  uncompromising  bishop  was 
no  mere  fighter.  To  organize  his  diocese,  to 
lead  the  people  against  royal  despotism,  and  to 
plan  the  details  of  a  great  cathedral  were  the 
natural  activities  of  his  fine  spirit,  while  oc- 
casionally he  would  retire  to  his  little  Somer- 
setshire priory,  for  Lincoln  never  was  a  mon- 
astery, and  live  for  a  time  as  a  simple  monk 
practicing  the  austerities  of  his  order.  With 
the  shattered  Norman  cathedral  constantly 
confronting  him.  Bishop  Hugh  must  have 
had  visions  of  what  a  new  church  might  be  on 
such  a  superb  site,  and  we  know  that  he  de- 
voted six  years  to  collecting  materials  and 
preparing  for  the  work. 

To  appreciate  the  significance  of  Hugh's 
work  we  must  remember  that  at  this  time  the 
great  Romanesque  churches  of  the  Norman 
were' the  prevailing  type  in  England.  West- 
minster Abbey   was   still  Edward   the   Con- 

86 


LINCOLN 

fessor's  old  Norman  church,  nor  had  Salis- 
bury Cathedral  departed  from  its  rude  Nor- 
man beginnings  at  Old  Sarum.  But  at  Can- 
terbury the  choir  of  the  "two  Williams"  had 
just  been  completed,  the  first  hint  of  coming 
changes.  St.  Hugh,  as  he  later  came  to  be 
known,  took  a  long  step  forward  when  he  set 
aside  the  familiar  round  arch  and  planned 
his  new  choir  with  pointed  arches  throughout, 
slender,  lancet  windows  and  a  variety  of 
ornament  new  in  style  and  developed  with 
such  artistic  skill  that  it  still  takes  high  rank 
among  the  most  beautiful  productions  of 
cathedral  art.  Where  did  St.  Hugh  get  his 
inspiration  ?  The  question  answers  itself  when 
we  remember  that  the  thirteenth  century 
in  Europe  was  one  of  the  great  centuries 
of  human  awakening.  The  Crusades  had 
stirred  the  life  of  the  people  and  new  ideas 
were  in  the  air.  Parliaments  were  soon  to 
take  shape.  England's  Magna  Charta  was 
signed  only  fifteen  years  after  St.  Hugh's 
death.  Hugh  himself  was  a  genius,  and  such 
a  man  was  sure  to  be  a  little  ahead  of  his 
time.  We  know  that  his  architect  had  a 
French  name,  Geoffrey  de  Noyers,  but  it  is 
claimed  that  his  family  had  lived  in  Lincoln- 

87 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

shire  for  generations.  Moreover,  a  very  emi- 
nent French  critic  of  the  last  century,  M. 
Viollet  le  Due,  admits  that  during  St.  Hugh's 
lifetime,  previous  to  1200,  there  was  nothing 
in  France  of  a  similar  character. 

Nor  must  we  forget  that  no  great  archi- 
tectural change  springs  into  life  full  grown. 
The  late  twelfth  century  was  a  period  of  great 
building  enterprises.  Norman  and  French 
craftsmen  were  doubtless  at  work  all  over 
England.  St.  Hugh's  six  years  of  prepara- 
tion for  his  great  church  and  his  frequent 
episcopal  journeys  must  have  made  him 
familiar  with  all  current  building  projects. 
The  choir  of  the  two  Williams  at  Canterbury 
would,  of  course,  be  eagerly  examined  where 
the  pointed  arches  and  use  of  the  tooth  orna- 
ment were  an  indication  of  new  developments. 
There  were  other  Early  English  beginnings 
about  this  time,  but  the  distinction  of  St. 
Hugh's  work  is  that  it  was,  so  far  as  known, 
the  earliest  great  English  church  to  use  the 
pointed  arch  as  its  chief  constructive  feature 
and  with  it  a  system  of  ornament  wholly 
different  from  the  widely  prevalent  Norman, 
slender  lancet  windows,  dog-tooth  molding, 
stiff -lea\ed  foliage,  and  the  round  abacus  for 

88 


LINCOLN 

its    columns,    though    it    still    retained    some 
features  of  its  Romanesque  ancestry. 

As  we  scrutinize  its  details  we  can  imagine 
the  delightful  hours  which  Bishop  Hugh  and 
his  architect  must  have  spent  as  they  dreamed 
and  schemed  together  over  their  plans.  The 
material  was  to  be  of  Lincoln  limestone,  un- 
surpassed in  its  resistance  to  weather,  and 
possessed  of  a  beautiful  yellow  brown  tint 
suggestive  of  old  parchment.  What  more 
suitable  for  a  cathedral !  Shafts  of  dark  Pur- 
beck  marble  were  to  be  used  to  enrich  tri- 
forium  and  clerestory,  and  then  finished,  not 
with  Xorman  capitals,  as  at  Canterbury,  in- 
herited from  countless  past  generations,  but 
with  a  new  form  adorned  with  leaves  such  as 
might  have  grown  in  England.  These  leaves 
must  of  course  have  a  little  conventional  stiff- 
ness to  preserve  their  general  tone,  but  they 
were  also  to  be  exceedingly  well  carved  and 
by  no  means  devoid  of  grace.  Above  these, 
the  square  block,  the  old  Norman  abacus, 
would  scarcely  be  needed,  for  all  the  arch 
moldings  were  to  be  of  a  distinctly  lighter 
nature  than  in  the  old  choir  of  Remigius. 
Therefore  a  light  rounded  abacus  was  sub- 
stituted.    Over  the  triforium  arches  a  drip- 

89 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

stone  with  its  deep-cut  moldings  would  help 
to  make  beautiful  shadows,  and  the  ends  fin- 
ished with  corbels  could  be  carved  with  added 
effect.  Then,  while  Hugh's  skilled  workmen 
experimented  with  leaf  designs,  perhaps  some 
one — was  it  a  master  carver  who  had  carved  a 
certain  small  Norman  door  in  Rochester 
Cathedral  or  had  helped  to  introduce  a  new 
style  of  ornament  at  Canterbury? — showed  a 
bit  of  stone  with  the  new  leaf  pattern  on  it. 
However  it  came  about,  the  exquisite  "dog- 
tooth" molding  was  adopted  and  "Early 
English"  had  achieved  another  triumph. 

Did  the  master  masons  first  look  askance 
at  the  long,  very  narrow  lancet  windows  and 
their  exceeding  plainness?  We  shall  never 
know.  But  this  device  alone  was  to  give  to 
England  in  the  next  century  the  loveliness  of 
Salisbury  Cathedral.  In  St.  Hugh's  choir 
you  are  at  once  attracted  by  the  charming 
double  arcade  running  along  the  walls  of  the 
aisles  and  continued  on  the  north  side  of  the 
great  transept  in  both  directions,  where  it 
marks  the  limit  of  St.  Hugh's  work.  The 
lovely  capitals  and  the  very  sincere  and  de- 
vout angels  just  above  can  be  studied  at  close 
range.      Possibly   these   adoring   angels   may 

90 


LINCOLN 

have  suggested  the  idea  of  the  later  Angel 
Choir.  Notice  St.  Hugh's  triforium  in  both 
choir  and  eastern  'transept — not  too  highly 
decorated,  the  arches  very  gracefully  propor- 
tioned— and  his  use  of  plate  tracery  in  the 
trefoil  or  quatrefoil  or  circular  openings 
under  each  arch.  The  falling  of  the  Central 
Tower  in  1237  shattered  part  of  this  choir, 
and  you  notice  how  the  pier  arches  next  the 
great  transept  differ  from  their  neighbor. 
The  passage  which  runs  along  in  front  of  the 
clerestory  windows  is  a  survival  of  Norman 
building  methods  when  the  churches  had  flat 
roofs  and  access  to  them  was  often  desirable. 
Indeed,  it  is  not  surely  known  that  the  present 
vaulted  roof  is  St.  Hugh's.  His  may  have 
been  flat.  Certainly  in  his  time  the  tall  roof 
shafts  ran  clear  to  the  floor.  They  have  been 
cut  off  since  to  make  room  for  the  choir  stalls. 
The  stalls  are  perhaps  the  finest  in  England. 
The  upper  row  is  very  rich  in  carving,  and 
in  the  miserere  seats  the  fourteenth  century 
workmen  let  their  imagination  run  riot.  The 
fox  as  a  preacher,  monkeys  at  play,  kings 
and  knights  and  creatures  of  every  sort  en- 
gage in  grotesque  pranks.  The  tablets  above 
the  stalls  indicating  certain  psalms  point  to 

91 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

a  very  old  custom  at  Lincoln,  when  each 
member  of  the  Chapter  was  assigned  a  group 
of  psalms  to  be,  repeated  "daily  if  nothing 
hinders,"  so  that  the  whole  psalter  Avith  certain 
prayers  might  be  said  each  day  for  the  living 
and  deceased  benefactors  of  the  church.  The 
custom,  it  is  said,  has  not  been  allowed  to 
lapse  altogether. 

One  striking  feature  of  English  Gothic 
which  St.  Hugh  did  not  achieve  was  a  square 
east  end  for  his  church.  The  foundations  of 
his  old  apse  just  beyond  the  High  Altar  show 
that  its  form  was  five-sided,  with  little  chapels 
surrounding  it,  very  characteristically  French. 
In  one  of  these  chapels  St.  Hugh  directed 
that  he  should  be  buried,^  not  far  from  the 
Altar  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  but  "near  the 
wall  lest  it  should  be  a  stumbling  block  to 
tliose  approaching."  He  met  his  death  as  he 
had  desired,  lying  on  the  bare  ground  on  a 
cross  of  consecrated  ashes.  His  funeral  at 
Lincoln  in  1200,  when  King  John  and  a  great 
body  of  nobles  and  church  dignitaries  carried 

^  A  legend  of  St.  Hugh,  like  those  of  St.  Francis,  refers  to 
his  skill  in  taming  birds.  It  tells  of  a  swan  which  attached 
itself  to  the  Bishop  on  the  day  of  his  consecration  at  Lincoln 
and  remained  his  companion  for  fourteen  years,  showing  ex- 
treme grief  on  the  approaching  death  of  its  master. 

92 


LINCOLN 

the  body  on  their  shoulders,  was  celebrated 
in  an  old  Lincoln  ballad  which  records  that 

"A'  the  bells  o'  Merrie  Lincoln 
Without  men's  hands  were  rung." 

His  memory  was  already  on  the  highway  to 
sainthood  and  his  church  so  auspiciously  be- 
gun went  on  without  delay/ 

The  great  western  transept,  finished  soon 
after  St.  Hugh's  death,  possesses  inexhausti- 
ble interest  from  its  rare  old  stained  glass, 
especially  its  famous  round  windows,  the 
"Dean's  Eye"  and  the  "Bishop's  Eye."  These 
face  respectively  the  Deanery  and  the  Bishop's 
palace,  though  some  will  have  it  that  the 
"Dean's  Eye"  looks  northward,  to  guard 
against  the  possible  appearance  of  Lucifer, 
and  the  "Bishop's  Eye"  southward  to  the 
region  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  alone  is  able 
to  overcome  the  wiles  of  the  fallen  angel. 
The  glass  in  the  "Dean's  Eye"  is  very  old, 

^  St.  Hugh's  Choir  has  been  the  battle  ground  of  architects 
for  many  years.  y\n  eminent  English  authority  claims  that  it 
is  "pure  English  Gothic  and  the  earliest  building  of  that 
style  in  the  world."  An  equally  distinguished  French  critic 
admits  all  its  fine  points  but  considers  them  not  Gothic  but 
"Anglo-Norman."  Certain  other  critics  believe  that  it  was  in- 
fluenced by  French  ideals  or  that  it  was  not  entirely  built  by 
St.  Hugh. 

93 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

early  thirteenth  century,  even  older  than 
some  of  that  at  Canterbury,  and  it  has  a 
brilliant  jewel-like  quality  due  to  the  wonder- 
ful transj^arency  combined  with  depth  of 
color  achieved  bj^  the  glass  workers  of  that 
time.  The  "Bishop's  Eye,"  you  notice,  is 
quite  different  in  design  from  the  "Dean's." 
The  stonework  here  of  the  Curvilinear  or 
Late  Decorated  period  takes  the  form  of  a 
leaf  designed  with  exquisite  grace,  but  the 
chief  glory  of  this  window,  even  allowing  for 
its  lovely  tracery,  is  its  glass,  made  up  en- 
tirely of  broken  fragments,  artistically  dis- 
tributed and  so  glorious  in  themselves  that  the 
effect  is  one  hardly  to  be  surpassed.  Look 
back  also  through  the  choir  aisles  to  the  old 
windows  at  the  eastern  end,  ablaze  with  bril- 
liant color,  and  compare  them  with  the  later 
glass  of  the  great  middle  window  of  the  choir. 
The  advantage  is  plainly  with  the  old  glass. 

The  low  vaulting  of  this  western  transept 
is  very  apparent.  The  nave  also  is  in  height 
fifth  of  great  English  churches,  Westminster 
Abbey,  York,  Ripon,  and  Salisbury  all  ex- 
ceeding it.  But  such  comparisons  seem  super- 
fluous, as  you  study  this  wonderful  interior 
and   think  of  the   early  days  when  the  old 

94 


Copyright,  Photochrome  Co.,  Ltd.,  London. 

EAST    END,    LINCOLN    CATHEDRAL. 


Copyright,  Photochrome  Co.,  lAU  ,  Lonaon. 

NAVE,    LINCOLN    CATHEDRAL. 


LINCOLN 

stained  glass  glowed  and  sparkled  in  aisle 
and  clerestory.  The  soft  greenish  hue  of  the 
polished  marble  shafts,  blending  harmoniously 
with  the  warm  tints  of  the  limestone,  must 
have  made  an  incomparable  background  for 
the  brilliant  windows.  In  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  the  nave  stands  the  old  font  of  Remi- 
gius,  and  it  is  under  his  great  round  arches 
that  we  look  out  westward;  but  all  the  rest 
of  the  interior  speaks  of  the  awakening  of  the 
Gothic  spirit.  Study  the  carving  of  the  wall 
arcading  and  tlie  pier  capitals.  You  will  find 
many  points  of  difference  between  the  north 
and  south  aisles,  little  touches  in  which  the  old 
stone  workers  delighted.  Then  look  again  at 
the  clustered  piers  and  the  far  height  of  the 
vaulted  roof  and  try  to  picture  that  thirteenth 
century  audience  who  first  looked  with  won- 
dering eyes  upon  the  fair  proportions  of  this 
interior. 

Before  the  nave  was  finished,  Lincoln  had 
another  great  bishop.  You  can  discover  his 
hall-mark,  a  fine  diaper  pattern,  on  the  great 
central  tower.  But  he  did  not  need  to  carve 
his  name  on  the  cathedral.  It  was  burned 
deep  in  the  records  of  his  time.  Bishop 
Robert  Grosseteste,  of  humble  birth  but  of 

95 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

great  natural  ability,  was  one  of  the  foremost 
scholars  of  his  time.  He  saw  with  anxious 
forebodings  the  widespread  degeneracy  of  the 
clergy,  and  the  frequent  alliance  of  the  Pope 
with  royal  despotism.  In  the  first  year  of 
his  bishopric,  1235,  Grosseteste  found  it  neces- 
sary to  remove  seven  abbots  and  five  priors, 
but  when  he  made  a  "visitation"  of  his  cathe- 
dral the  clergy  revolted,  claiming  that  the 
dean  was  supreme.  An  old  chronicler  gravely 
records  how,  in  1237,  when  a  recalcitrant 
canon  was  fulminating  from  the  pulpit 
against  Grosseteste,  dramatically  claiming 
that  "if  we  were  to  be  silent  the  very  stones 
would  cry  out  for  us,"  the  central  tower 
promptly  came  down  with  a  crash.  The 
tower,  rebuilt  by  Grosseteste,  still  stands! 
Pope  Innocent  IV,  however,  stood  by  the 
bishop,  and  one  of  Grosseteste's  first  reforms 
was  the  abolition  of  the  scandalous  custom  of 
the  "Feast  of  Fools."  Later  he  crossed 
swords  with  the  Pope,  refusing  to  receive  into 
a  rich  benefice  an  Italian  ignorant  of  the 
English  tongue;  nor  would  he  appoint  even 
the  Pope's  nephew,  as  demanded  by  his  Holi- 
ness. His  letter  to  the  Pope  is  still  preserved, 
respectful  in  tone  but  pointing  out  the  unfit- 

96 


LINCOLN 

ness  of  Di  Lavagna  for  the  post.  The  Pope 
excommunicated  him,  but  Grosseteste  ignored 
the  fact  and  continued  his  duties  until  his 
death  in  the  same  year,  1253. 

Lincohi  was  the  scene  in  Richard  I's  reign 
of  a  frightful  massacre  of  the  Jews,  which 
extended  to  York  and  other  cities.  A  sturdy 
stone  dwelling  on  Steep  Hill  Street,  known 
as  the  Jew's  House,  is  evidence  to-day  of 
their  contributions  to  English  Domestic  archi- 
tecture, for  they  were  among  the  first  to  build 
stone  houses  superior  to  the  hovels  of  the 
burghers  around  them.  Popular  hatred  made 
it  difficult  for  a  Jew  to  secure  justice,  and 
many  false  tales  were  imdoubtedly  circulated. 
The  incident  of  little  St.  Hugh  may  have 
been  one  of  these,  but  it  had  an  immense  in- 
fluence on  the  populace.  One  of  several  ver- 
sions tells  how,  when — 

"The  bonnie  boys  o'  Merrie  Lincoln 
Were  playing  at  the  ba', 
And  wi  them  stude  the  swete  Sir  Hugh 
The  flower  among  them  a'," — 

the  ball  fell  into  a  Jew's  garden.  Hugh  was 
decoyed  in  and  kept  in  custody  until  his 
trial,  patterned  after  that  of  Christ,  and  then 

97 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

the  boy,  a  child  of  eight,  was  put  to  death.  His 
body  was  found  at  the  bottom  of  a  well  and 
given  to  the  canons  of  the  Cathedral,  who 
buried  it  as  that  of  a  martyr.  Many  Jews  were 
cruelly  executed. 

The  shrine  of  Little  St.  Hugh,  which 
stands  in  the  South  Choir  aisle,  was  badly 
damaged  in  the  Civil  Wars.  The  base  still 
remains,  and  a  fragment  of  the  original 
canopy.  The  ball  flower  ornament  on  the 
arcade  behind  is  part  of  the  language  of  the 
Decorated  period. 

Soon  after  Grosseteste's  time  the  whole 
eastern  end  of  the  Cathedral  was  changed. 
You  return  from  the  nave  to  the  lovely  Angel 
Choir,  and  you  recall  that  proud  day,  October 
6,  1280,  when  Lincoln  was  astir  from  end  to 
end  for  the  "translation"  of  the  relics  of  St. 
Hugh,  for  the  Angel  Choir  had  necessitated 
the  removal  of  part  of  the  city  wall  and  all 
of  St.  Hugh's  apse,  and  the  saint's  remains 
were  to  be  housed  in  a  gorgeous  shrine  back 
of  the  high  altar.  How  Hugh  himself  would 
have  protested!  The  people  crowded  to  see 
the  pageant.  King  Edward  I  helped  to  carry 
the  coffin  of  St.  Hugh,  and  his  gracious 
Queen  Eleanor  staod  with  him.     The  King's 

98 


LINCOLN 

brother  Edmund,  the  Earls  of  Gloucester 
and  Warwick,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
numerous  bishops  and  two  hundred  and  fifty 
knights  must  have  made  a  spectacle  brilliant 
in  the  extreme.  And  the  setting  for  it  was 
this  famous  choir — no  longer  the  simple 
Early  English  of  St.  Hugh,  but  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Decorated  Gothic.  There  are  no 
lancet  windows.  They  have  become  larger 
and  are  divided  by  traceries  into  geometrical 
patterns.  Compare  this  triforium  with  that 
of  St.  Hugh  and  see  how  Early  English  was 
already  developing  into  exuberant  decoration 
and  away  from  the  restrained  simplicity  of 
the  earlier  time.  The  angels  in  the  spandrels 
of  this  triforium  are  as  individual  as  could  be 
desired,  those  on  the  south  side  being  rather 
superior  in  execution,  and  you  discover  on 
the  north  side  the  famous  Lincoln  Imp 
snugly  ensconced  at  the  end  of  the  corbel 
above  the  easternmost  pier. 

In  ten  years  the  Angel  Choir  sheltered  a 
monument  to  Queen  Eleanor  herself.  She 
had  died  near  Lincoln,  was  embalmed,  the 
viscera  buried  here,  and  from  Lincoln  the 
King  began  his  long  journey  to  Westminster, 
marked  by  crosses  at  each  halting  place.   That 

99 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

we  see  none  of  these  monuments  now  is  due 
to  the  looting  propensities  of  Henry  VIII 
in  the  case  of  St.  Hugh,  while  the  parlia- 
mentary soldiers  were  equally  assiduous  in 
their  attention  to  the  beautiful  gilt  brass 
effigy  of  Eleanor's  tomb.  The  minster  itself 
was  seriously  threatened  in  the  Common- 
wealth, when  "certain  godly  ones  were  gaping 
after  its  stone,  timber  and  lead."  The  Mayor 
of  the  city,  Mr.  Original  Peart,  saved  the 
church  by  assuring  Cromwell  that  "if  it  were 
down,  Lincoln  would  soon  be  one  of  the  worst 
towns  in  the  county." 

We  leave  the  choir  by  the  south  door,  for 
a  chronological  stroll  around  the  outside  of 
the  church.  One  feels  indebted  to  the  old 
cathedral  for  the  tenacious  way  in  which  it 
has  clung  to  some  one  expressive  feature  of 
every  English  style,  from  the  early  Norman  to 
the  end  of  the  Gothic  period,  offering  us  a 
series  of  beautiful  stone  pictures  with  the 
open  sky  for  a  background.  You  have  al- 
ready seen  the  Norman  work  on  the  west 
end,  and  here  close  to  the  south  door  is  St. 
Hugh's  eastern  transept.  If  it  looked  very 
ethereal  when  the  early  architect  sketched  it 
on  paper,  it  certainly  is  a  delicate  creation 

100 


LINCOLN 

as  realized  in  stone.  With  its  long,  beautiful 
lines  and  deeply  cut  moldings,  high-bred  sim- 
plicity seems  its  keynote,  and  you  feel  that 
it  must  have  been  purposely  subordinated  to 
its  neighbor,  the  imposing  western  transept, 
where  the  highest  artistic  skill  was  lavished 
upon  the  superb  rose  windows.  On  the  west 
side  of  this  greater  transept  we  step  into  its 
little  Galilee  porch,  built  as  a  state  entrance 
for  the  bishop,  whose  palace  is  just  across 
the  minster  vard  to  the  south.  If  the  doff- 
tooth  ornament  had  been  a  pure  invention 
and  not  an  evolution,  one  might  easily  be- 
lieve that  its  inventor  had  labored  here,  its 
five  thousand  or  more  "dog-tooths"  show 
such  passionate  enthusiasm  for  the  device. 
Just  above  you  rises  the  splendid  central 
tower,  with  the  lattice  work  of  Grosseteste  on 
the  lower  part.  In  1311  the  tall  windows 
were  added  and  it  reached  its  present  height 
of  271  feet.  From  various  points  of  view  the 
great  Victoria  Tower  at  Westminster  is  said 
to  look  broader  at  the  top  than  below.  The 
Lincoln  architect  skillfully  avoided  such  a 
possibility  by  drawing  in  the  upright  lines 
of  his  great  tower  two  and  a  half  inches, 
twenty  feet  below  the  parapet.     From  this 

101 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

tower  rings  out  Great  Tom,  the  fourth  largest 
bell  in  England.  Notice  the  low-roofed 
chapel  just  beside  the  aisle  of  the  nave.  This, 
w4th  its  north  side  companion,  probably  led 
to  the  building  of  the  wide  western  screen  in 
Grosseteste's  time.  Again,  you  see  his  lattice 
work  in  the  tall  front  gable.  The  Perpen- 
dicular windows  of  this  west  front  are,  of 
course,  of  later  date.  Fascinating  details 
engage  your  attention  at  every  step.  A  de- 
lightful illustration  of  early  democracy  is 
the  statue  of  St.  Hugh  on  the  south  pinnacle, 
balanced  by  that  of  the  Swineherd  of  Stow 
on  the  north !  The  Swineherd  could  not  build 
a  cathedral,  but  he  gave  a  peck  of  silver  pen- 
nies and  they  were  counted  unto  him  for 
righteousness.  At  two  points  on  the  south 
side  "the  Devil  looking  over  Lincoln"  gazes 
sardonically  from  the  back  of  a  witch,  even 
as  the  Imp  views  the  interior  with  wide-eyed 
bewilderment. 

The  minster  yard  widens  as  you  turn  east- 
ward and  opens  out  into  a  beautiful  EfUglish 
green,  leading  off  to  distant  gateways  and 
historic  houses,  glimpses  here  and  there  of 
a  steep  descent  giving  you  a  sense  of  being 
lifted  high   above  the   world.      Here   we   see 

102 


LINCOLN 

the  Angel  Choir  from  the  outside,  and  mark 
its  progress  in  crockets  and  pinnacles  and 
outward  adornments  since  the  simple  days  of 
St.  Hugh.  Like  the  puzzle  makers,  you  at- 
tempt in  fancy  the  evolution  of  a  geometrical 
window.  In  the  upper  window  you  can  de- 
tach two  lancets  and  a  trefoil  which  might 
easily  make  the  first  combination.  In  the 
gable  at  the  left  two  of  these  "twos"  are 
grouped  under  a  quatrefoil,  or  you  can  use 
half  the  device  of  the  lower  window  with  a 
sixfoil  or  the  upper  one  with  five  lancets  and 
an  eightfoil,  and  so  on.  This  upper  window 
is  surely  too  large  for  its  gable  and  rests 
rather  oppressively  on  the  apex  of  the  win- 
dow below.  Did  the  enthusiasm  for  large 
windows  get  the  upper  hand  of  the  architect 
for  the  time  being?  When  cathedral  win- 
dows had  grown  sufficiently,  their  tracery  be- 
gan to  show  signs  of  evolution.  There  was 
increasing  enthusiasm  for  natural  forms  in 
leaf  capitals  and  other  decorative  stonework, 
and  naturally  the  windows  were  affected  by 
this  new  spirit.  You  could  no  longer  take  a 
window  to  pieces  without  destroying  its  essen- 
tial pattern.  The  upper  window  in  the  west- 
ern transept  is  only  a  "cousin"  to  its  neigh- 

103 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

bors  of  the  east  end,  and  the  great  rose 
window  belongs  to  the  same  flowery  stage 
of  Decorated  Gothic.  The  quatrefoils  above 
are  what  remain  from  the  original  window. 
This  round  window  looks  awkwardly  low,  but 
you  recall  the  low  vaulting  of  the  transept 
and  if  you  go  around  to  the  cloisters  you  can 
see  the  exterior  of  the  north  end,  which  re- 
mains just  as  it  was  left  in  St.  Hugh's  time. 

Close  to  the  north  side  of  the  Angel  Choir 
you  notice  a  chantry  in  the  Early  Perpen- 
dicular style,  which  marks  it  as  fifteenth  cen- 
tury work.  Bishop  Fleming,  who  built  this 
chantry,  was  in  his  early  college  days  an 
advocate  of  the  doctrines  of  Wiclif,  but  many 
years  later  he  founded  Lincoln  College  at 
Oxford  to  offset  suj^posed  heretical  tenden- 
cies in  the  young  clergy.  As  Bishop  of  Lin- 
coln it  therefore  became  his  duty  to  carry  out 
the  decree  of  the  Council  of  Constance  and  ex- 
hume the  bones  of  Wiclif  from  the  church- 
yard at  Lutterworth,  burn  them  and  cast 
them  into  the  river  Swift. 

One  last  charming  feature  of  the  Cathedral 
is  the  south  door,  through  which  we  came  from 
the  Angel  Choir.  Unusual  are  these  great 
doorways  in  England,  and  this  is  a  gem;  but, 

104 


LINCOLN 

alas,  the  "restorer"  has  tampered  with  it  both 
in  recent  and  in  earlier  years.  Such  frag- 
ments of  the  old  carving  as  remain  show  un- 
usual grace  and  feeling.  On  each  side  of  the 
door  is  a  chantry  built  when  Gothic  had 
reached  the  Perpendicular  stage.  You  easily 
recognize  its  characteristics  in  the  elaborate 
design  of  the  parapet,  the  paneled  buttresses, 
and  vertical  tracerj^  of  the  windows.  Then 
you  stroll  away  across  the  green  to  the  north 
to  watch  the  sun  go  down  behind  the  western 
towers  and  your  thoughts  turn  again  to  Hugh 
of  Avalon,  of  whom  Ruskin  said,  "He  is  the 
most  beautiful  sacerdotal  figure  known  to  me 
in  history."  Close  by  stands  Watts'  noble 
statue  of  Tennyson,  who  was  born  almost 
within  sight  of  the  minster. 

Did  St.  Hugh,  as  he  slipped  out  of  life 
with  his  greatest  dream  only  half  fulfilled, 
turn  back  in  thought  to  Avalon  and  the 
golden  dreams  of  his  boyhood?  It  was  a 
happy  inspiration  that  placed  close  beside 
Hugh's  completed  church  the  great  dreamer 
of  a  later  age,  who  discerned  in  his  own  vision 
of  Avalon  that  half-invisible  boundary  beyond 
which  dreams  are  realized. 


105 


eiiHOPIJ  POPCH 


(1)(2VC3)(4)  BISH- 
OP HUGHU"  AP5I- 
DAL  CHAPLLS 

(5)  OV^EEN  ELEAN- 
OR'vS  nCMunErsT 

(6)  THLvSHRIMEOF 
UTTLESAIfSTHVCH 


WESTERN  TOWERS 


LI/iCOLH  CAT/1EDRAL 


106 


BRIEF    SUMMARY    FOR    THE    TRAVELER 

Cathedral  begun  about  1074.  Illustrates  each 
STAGE  OF  English  Architecture  from  Early  Nor- 
man to  Late  Gothic. 

Plan:  A  double  cross  with  numerous   side  chapels. 

Norman  Remains  (1074-92-1146) 

Early  Norman.  Three  round  arches  of  west  front, 
except  upper  part  of  central  one,  and  part  of  first  bay 
of  nave.  Wide  jointed  masonry,  very  plain  and  mas- 
sive. Late  Norman.  Three  doorways  of  west  front  and 
intersecting  arcade  above  side  arches.  Western  towers 
to  a  point  just  above  their  three  tiers  of  arcading. 

St.  Hugh's  Choir  (1192-1200) 

Early  English.  The  capitals  in  the  triforium  of  St. 
Hugh's  choir  and  eastern  transept  are  among  the  finest 
carvings  in  England.  Great  arches  rather  blunt  in  con- 
trast, with  pointed  triforium  and  lancets  of  the  clere- 
story. Notice  plate  tracery  and  deep  hood  molds  of  tri- 
forium and  fine  contrasts  of  color. 

Fall  of  the  tower  in  1237  injured  western  piers. 
Restoration  ugly.  Arcaded  screens  separating  choir 
from  its  aisles  erected  at  same  time  to  strengthen  the 
new  tower.  In  aisles,  St.  Hugh's  beautiful  wall  arcad- 
ing with  sculptured  angels. 

Effect  of  vaulting  shafts  impaired  by  cutting  them 
off  when  the  oak  choir  stalls  were  added  in  14th  cen- 
tury,   "finest   examples    in    the    Kingdom."      Statues    of 

107 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

saints  recent  additions.     Grotesque  carvings  of  misereres. 
Best  examples  in  upper  row. 

Additions  in  Late  Decorated  period.  Shrine  of  little 
St.  Hugh  in  south  choir  aisle.  Notice  the  ball  flower  or- 
nament, a  characteristic  of  this  style.  Near  by  the  screen 
of  the  choir  boys'  vestr}'^^  diapered  with  lilies.  Easter 
Sepulcher  in  Presbytery.  Fine  piece  of  carving  with 
natural  leaf  capitals  and  sleeping  soldiers,  end  of  13th 
century.  The  consecrated  host  was  watched  here  from 
Maundy  Thursday  to  Easter  Sunday. 

Transepts  (1203-53) 

Early  English.  Begun  by  St.  Hugh  and  adorned 
with  his  double  arcading  in  the  chapels  of  their  eastern 
aisles. 

Choir  screen  fine  Early  Decorated  work,  end  of  13th 
century.     Very  beautiful  carved  doorways. 

Windows:  Dean's  Eye,  1220.  Glass,  early  13th  cen- 
tury. Five  lancet  windows  below  contain  medallions  and 
fragments  of  old  glass.  Two  large  lancet  windows  still 
lower;  the  eastern  contains  old  geometrical  patterns  and 
fragments,  the  western  also  fragments,  probably  end  of 
14th  century.  BishojD's  Eye:  tracery  14th  century  Cur- 
vilinear period,  glass  fragments  from  Early  English  pe- 
riod. Notice  tracery  of  quatrefoils  around  the  edge. 
Early  English  medallions  from  other  windows  in  the 
four  lancets  below. 

Exterior:  Galilee  Porch,  with  its  5,355  dog-tooth  or- 
naments. 

Nave  (1203-53) 

Early  English.  Piers  of  clustered  marble  shafts 
banded.      Capitals   bell-shaped,   and  stiff-leaved   foliage. 

108 


LINCOLN 

Triforium  beautiful  arches,  double  and  triple.  The 
vaulting  shafts,  unlike  those  in  St.  Hugh's  Choir,  rise 
from  corbels  just  above  the  capitals  of  the  piers. 

Very  charming  are  the  variations  in  wall  arcading 
and  in  all  carving  on  the  two  sides  of  the  nave.  Morn- 
ing Chapel  on  north  side  of  nave,  with  beautiful  central 
pier. 

Glass  in  nave  modern.  West  window  tracery  Early 
Perpendicular  15th  century.  Cinquefoil  window  above 
by  Grosseteste,  13th  century.  Clerestory  a  remark- 
ably early  example  of  the  grouping  of  lancets,  the  cen- 
ter one  being  larger  than  the  other  two. 

Exterior:  Notice  beautiful  curvilinear  parapet.  Up- 
per screen  and  turrets  and  wall  of  West  Front  built  in 
Grosseteste's  time.  » 

Angel  Choir  (1256-80) 

Early  Decorated  Gothic.  Notice  difference  in  shape 
and  carving  of  capitals  of  Pier  arches,  clustered  col- 
umns still  banded  as  in  Early  English  style.  Profusion 
of  ornament.  Notice  in  triforium  bar  tracery  instead 
of  plate  tracery  above  the  arches  and  lavish  decoration 
of  hood  molds. 

Notice  large  windows  in  clerestory  and  aisles,  devel- 
opments of  the  lancet  form.  Compare  wall  arcading 
with  that  of  nave  and  St.  Hugh's  Choir. 

Angels  in  spandrels  of  triforium.  Numbers  4  to  18. 
counting  from  southeast  corner,  best  in  execution.  Foun- 
dations of  St.  Hugli's  polygonal  apse  indicated  in  floor 
of  South  aisle  from  near  eastern  transept. 

Windows,  largely  modern  glass.  East  windows  of 
north  and  south  aisles  original  Early  English  glass,  re- 

109 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

moved  from  nave  and  hence  older  than  the  present  win- 
dow tracery.  The  grisaille  glass,  into  which  the  medal- 
lions are  set,  is  perhaps  the  oldest  in  England.  Great 
East  Window:  the  finest  Geometrical  Decorated  window 
in  England,  but  modern  glass. 

Exterior:  Perpendicular  Chantries.  South  doorway 
a  rare  design  for  England,  very  large  and  fine.  Orig- 
inal carving  of  an  unusually  high  order,  but  unfortu- 
nately much  restored. 

Chapter  House  (1203-53) 

Early  English.  Ten-sided.  One  of  the  earliest 
polygonal  Chapter  Houses  in  England.  Buttresses 
added  later.  The  Dean's  chair  fine  Mth  century  carv- 
ing, time  of  Edward   I,  who  held   Parliament  here. 

Cloisters  (about  1296) 

Geometrical  Decorated  Gothic.  On  south  wall  a  por- 
trait slab  of  Richard  of  Gainsborough,  the  supposed 
carver  of  the  Angel  Choir.  Arcading  of  north  walk  re- 
stored in  1674  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren  in  Classical 
Style.     Original  swineherd  of  Stow  preserved  here. 

Central  Tower  (1233-1311) 

Early  English,  with  Decorated  Gothic  in  upper  stage. 
Grosseteste's  lattice  work  both  inside  and  out.  Com- 
pleted 1307-11  by  Bishop  Dalderby.  Great  Tom,  Eng- 
land's fourth  largest  bell,  hangs  here. 

Western  Towers  (1074-1146-1400) 

Early  and  Late  Norman  below.     Perpendicular  above. 


110 


CHAPTER    V 

DURHAM 

FOR  more  than  eight  hundred  years  Dur- 
ham Cathedral  and  its  neighboring 
castle  liave  dominated  the  north  country. 
Firmly  planted  upon  a  frowning,  rocky 
promontory  encircled  by  a  swift-fiowing  river, 
their  towers  and  turrets  outlined  against  the 
sky,  they  have  long  held  this  formidable 
stronghold,  to  the  confusion  of  their  enemies. 
No  w^onder  Durham's  bishops  have  been  a 
race  of  warriors,  with  the  unconquerable  Scot 
never  far  off.  So  often  was  the  mighty 
Cathedral  involved  in  these  conflicts  that  it 
still  suggests  some  huge  living  thing  crouch- 
ing in  watchful  attitude  high  above  the  river 
bank,  and  peering  over  the  side  of  its  im- 
pregnable rocky  fastness,  alert  and  sleepless 
as  in  the  warring  centuries. 

Durham  is  a  gray  little  mining  city,  with 
much  of  the  dreariness  of  an  English  medieval 

111 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

town,  where  only  bare  brick  and  stone  are 
visible  to  the  public  eye  and  whatever  of 
beauty  exists  is  hidden  behind  high  brick 
walls.  Through  its  steep,  narrow  streets  you 
clamber  upwards  till  a  sharp  turn,  once  oc- 
cupied by  an  uncompromising  gateway,  leads 
to  Owengate  Street  and  you  come  out  upon 
Palace  Green,  an  immense  open  square  sug- 
gestive of  military  maneuvers,  bare  and 
stony,  except  for  one  big  central  grass  plot. 
On  your  right  rises  the  castle  keep,  and 
across  the  square,  within  its  own  setting  of 
green,  stands  the  great  Cathedral.  Even  in 
the  bright  sunlight  of  a  summer  morning 
there  is  something  eery  about  this  hoary  old 
Cathedral.  You  roam  through  the  church- 
yard toward  the  west  towers  and  suddenly 
find  yourself  looking  over  the  brink  of  a 
precipice  into  tree-tojDS  which  rise  in  terraces 
from  the  river  nearly  a  hundred  feet  below; 
or,  retracing  your  steps,  you  work  your  way 
down  the  steep  bank  along  well-kept  paths, 
with  many  glimpses  of  tlie  rapid  river  at  your 
feet  and  always  the  gigantic  Cathedral  tower- 
ing above  you. 

Full  four  hundred  years  before  the  Nor- 
man  Conquest,  the  destiny  of  Durham  was 
.   112 


DURHAM 

foreshadowed.  In  the  story  of  I^ichfield's 
founder,  St.  Chad,  the  struggle  of  Christian- 
ity against  heathen  influences  in  middle 
England  is  closely  linked  with  that  of  the 
brave  Celtic  missionaries  who  rescued  the 
north  from  paganism.  Oswald.  King  of 
Northumbria,  educated  by  Irish  monks  at 
lona  in  western  Scotland,  founded  a  great 
monastery  at  Lindisfarne,  near  his  own  for- 
tress of  Bamborough  on  the  North  Sea. 
Zealous  in  spreading  Christian  ideas,  he  was 
one  of  the  earliest  martyrs  to  the  new  faith, 
and  Din-ham,  which  owed  her  existence  to 
Lindisfarne,  puts  him  high  in  her  calendar 
of  saints.  Even  after  more  than  a  thousand 
years  the  figure  of  this  enthusiastic  young 
king  wins  our  admiration.  Often  fighting, 
as  the  savagery  of  his  time  required,  he  car- 
ried the  cross  as  his  standard,  with  it  van- 
quishing the  pagan  host  of  the  Welsh  Cad- 
wallon  at  Heaven's  Field.  In  the  intervals 
of  peace,  with  Aidan,  the  famous  bishop  of 
Lindisfarne,  he  devoted  himself  to  teaching 
and  preaching.  But  at  thirty-eight  years  of 
age  he  had  at  last  to  face  his  bitterest  enemy, 
Penda,  the  cruel  old  pagan  king  of  Mercia, 
who  slew  and  then  savagely  mutilated  his  ad- 

113 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

versary.  Oswald'?  head  was  buried  at  Lindis- 
farne,  and,  later,  with  the  bones  of  St.  Cuth- 
bert,  came  to  Durham. 

Few  saints  of  the  north  country  are  so 
deeply  revered  as  St.  Cuthbert,  the  great 
preacher  to  the  Northumbrian  peasants.  Dur- 
ing his  boyhood,  as  a  dreamy  shepherd  lad, 
he  was  said  to  have  seen  visions,  meteors  in 
the  clear  night  sky  seeming  to  him  angelic 
spirits  bearing  away  the  spirit  of  Aidan. 
Developing  into  a  stiu'dy  young  manhood,  he 
felt  called  by  the  example  of  Aidan,  and  en- 
tered the  monastery  at  Melrose,  a  mission 
station  of  Lindisfarne,  and  at  length  was 
sent  out  as  a  traveling  evangelist  into  the  half- 
civilized  hamlets  of  the  north.  Here  his  sym- 
pathy and  helpfulness  knew  no  bounds  and 
his  finest  fiber  was  tested.  Possessed  of  rare 
skill  and  tact,  Cuthbert  was  made  bishop  of 
Lindisfarne  in  the  discordant  days  which  fol- 
lowed the  secession  of  the  Celtic  monks  who 
refused  to  become  subject  to  Roman  author- 
ity. Except  for  the  years  spent  as  a  hermit 
on  one  of  the  near-by  Fame  Islands,  he  re- 
mained bishop  until  his  death  in  687,  retiring 
to  his  hermitage  as  he  felt  his  end  approach- 
ing.   The  signal  of  his  death,  flashed  by  can- 

114 


DURHAM 

die  from  his  little  hut  to  the  watching  monk 
at  Lindisfarne,  is  a  familiar  story. 

But  there  came  a  day  in  the  year  875  when 
all  Northumbria  trembled.  Not  even  the 
royal  castle  at  Bamborough,  entrenched  amid 
its  rocks,  could  protect  the  neighboring  monks 
of  Lindisfarne  from  the  fury  of  the  Danes. 
In  terror  the  monks  arose  and  fled,  taking 
with  them  their  most  treasured  relic,  the  body 
of  St.  Cuthbert.  Legend  naively  relates  how, 
for  years,  the  saint  led  them  through  north- 
ern England  and  Scotland,  a  Pilgrim's 
Progress  from  the  City  of  Destruction,  their 
route  being  traced  by  the  churches  dedicated 
to  St.  Cuthbert.  At  Chester-le- Street  they 
lingered  for  about  a  hundred  years,  but  in 
975  the  Danish  terror  again  overtook  them, 
and  under  Bishop  Aldhun  they  set  forth  once 
more,  until  their  venerable  relic,  by  clinging 
resolutely  to  the  ground,  constrained  them  to 
go  no  further.  INIysteries  multiplied  when 
it  was  revealed  that  their  destination  was  to 
be  Dunholme,  a  spot  seemingly  as  intangible 
as  the  Celestial  City  itself,  until  the  wander- 
ings of  a  dun  cow  suj)plied  the  clue.  With 
the  unshaken  pin-pose  of  a  homing  creature, 
like  the  bearer  of  classic  Europa,  she  led  them 

115 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

by  devious  ways  to  their  land  of  promise, 
where  the  bones  of  the  saint  have  since  re- 
mained. The  dun  cow  for  her  reward  has 
been  sculptured  conspicuously  on  the  outer 
wall  of  St.  Cuthbert's  Church  these  eight 
hundred  years! 

The  sober  groundwork  of  the  legend  seems 
to  be  that  the  ancient  "Congregation  of  St. 
Cuthbert,"  bishop,  monks,  and  their  families, 
for  at  that  period  the  Saxon  monks  had  be- 
come a  kind  of  secular  clergy,  removed  to 
Durham  on  the  advice  of  the  Earl  of  North- 
umbria,  whose  position  gave  him  great  in- 
fluence. Extensive  lands  between  the  Tyne 
and  Tees  had  long  since  been  given  to  St. 
Cuthbert,  and  in  settling  at  Durham,  the  con- 
gregation were  not  only  within  the  saint's 
territory,  but  on  a  spot  easily  defended,  where 
wealthy  offerings  might  be  made  with  secu- 
rity and  the  privilege  of  sanctuary  guaran- 
teed. The  immense  wealth  accumulated  by 
the  See  of  Durham  was  doubtless  due  in  great 
measure  to  the  prestige  of  its  patron  saint. 

Naturally,  building  began  nt  once.  A  little 
stone  chapel  housed  the  sacred  relic  until 
Bishop  Aldhun's  "White  Church"  was  fin- 
ished in  999.     But,  except  in  the  theories  of 

116 


John  R.  Edi9,  Photographer,  Durhauj. 

NAVE,    LOOKING    EAST,    DURHAM    CATHEDRAL. 


DURHAM 

antiquarians,  no  vestige  of  this  first  church 
remains,  though  it  held  its  own  for  nearly  a 
hundred  years.  Such  tumultuous  years  as 
these  were  for  St.  Cuthbert's  "Congrega- 
tion"! Strong  walls  had  been  built  around 
the  citadel  and  a  lower  town  gradually  grew 
up  around  it.  Both  JNIalcolm  and  Duncan, 
kings  of  the  Scots,  early  attacked  the  place, 
only  to  be  beaten  off  with  great  slaughter. 
William  the  Norman,  with  fresh  recollections 
of  Xorthumbrian  rebellions,  ordered  a  strong 
castle  to  be  built,  and  Waltheof,  Earl  of 
Northumbria,  began  the  first  structure  in 
1071.  Its  fine  Xorman  crypt  is  still  well 
preserved  and  shows  many  characteristic 
features  of  eleventh  century  Norman  archi- 
tecture,— sharp-edged  round  arches,  animals 
carved  on  the  capitals,  the  square  abacus  with 
volutes  curling  under  the  four  corners.  In 
its  palmy  days  the  castle  must  have  been  quite 
worthy  of  a  Northumbrian  earl.  Soon  after 
its  erection,  the  first  Norman  bishop,  Wal- 
cher,  was  murdered  at  Gateshead,  near  New- 
castle. He  had  intrusted  his  affairs  to  others, 
who  tyrannized  over  the  Saxon  populace,  till 
they  turned  and  wreaked  their  vengeance  on 
the  bishop,  then  hotly  pursued  his  retainers 

117 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

to  the  very  gates  of  the  castle.  So  with  war 
and  bloodshed,  Durham  Castle  comes  upon 
the  scene. 

The  next  name  in  the  bishopric  is  forever 
associated  with  the  venerable  Norman  cathe- 
dral begun  in  1093.  William  of  St.  Carileph 
founded,  partially  built,  and  in  great  measure 
planned  the  church  as  we  see  it  to-day.  No 
nobler  specimen  of  Norman  work  exists  than 
this  wonderful  cathedral,  one  of  the  great 
churches  of  the  world.  Entering  by  the 
north  door,  j^ou  are  fairly  spellbound  in  the 
presence  of  its  titanic  architecture.  Some- 
thing of  the  awful  grandeur  of  a  great  pri- 
meval forest  pervades  it.  What  Moses  felt 
at  Sinai  and  Elijah  at  Horeb,  Durham's 
medieval  builders  strove  to  express  here. 
These  enormous  piers,  ponderous  columns, 
and  the  magnificent  stone  vaidted  roof  must 
have  suggested  to  many  a  worshiper  the 
very  shadow  of  the  Almighty. 

Some  idea  of  the  immense  masses  of  ma- 
sonry which  produce  this  effect  may  be  gained 
from  the  actual  size  of  the  jiiers  of  the  nave, 
which  are  formed  of  clustered  pillars  covering 
225  square  feet  at  the  base.  These  divide  each 
bay   of   the   nave   into   two   arches,    between 

118 


DURHAM 

which  stands  a  cyhndrical  column  twenty- 
three  feet  in  circumference,  resting  on  a  base 
twelve  feet  square.  Around  each  of  the  main 
arches  runs  a  billet  molding  with  zigzag  pat- 
terns beneath.  This  zigzag  decoration  is  also 
used  with  much  freedom  on  the  ribs  a:id 
arches  of  the  roof,  where  it  adds  lovely  har- 
monies of  light  and  shadow  to  the  splendid 
vaulting.  You  look  with  wonder  and  delight 
at  the  huge  columns  with  their  beautiful, 
deep-cut  decorations  varied  in  channeled, 
lozenge,  and  zigzag  patterns,  luring  you  up 
through  the  long  nave  by  your  eager  desire 
to  miss  nothing  of  its  charm.  Yet  with  all 
this  ornament  the  later  architect  who  built 
the  nave  closely  adhered  to  the  central  idea, 
of  Carileph's  cathedral,  a  dignified,  noble  de- 
sign with  just  enough  of  decorative  beauty 
to  express  his  sense  of  reverence. 

In  the  choir  you  are  in  the  midst  of  Cari- 
leph's actual  work.  Though  the  Norman  de- 
sign of  the  whole  cathedral  was  due  to  him, 
he  died  near  the  end  of  the  eleventh  century 
and  Bishop  Flambard  continued  it,  the  monks 
adding  the  roof  of  the  nave  after  his  death. 
Nor  did  Bishop  Carileph  introduce  only  the 
Norman  cathedral.     He  installed  a  new  set  of 

119 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

monks,  displacing  the  former  secular  clergy 
and  their  families  with  Benedictines  brought 
here  from  Jarrow  and  Monk  Wearmouth, 
and  living  under  strict  monastic  discipline. 
The  presence  of  a  prison  opening  out  of  the 
cloister  is  certain  evidence  of  the  powers  of 
a  Benedictine  prior. 

Durham  stands  at  the  head  of  English 
Romanesque  churches  in  the  fine  harmony 
of  its  proportions.  You  appreciate  this  as  you 
study  the  symmetry  of  the  nave  arcade,  tri- 
forium,  and  clerestory,  each  of  which  blends 
perfectly  with  the  rest.  In  front  of  the  im- 
mense piers  rise  tall  vaulting  shafts  admirably 
adapted  to  their  duty  of  upholding  the  big 
transverse  arches  of  the  roof.  As  you  look 
down  the  nave  they  stand  out  impressively, 
and  with  the  graceful  intersecting  ribs  of  the 
shadowy  vault  overhead  suggest  the  wooded 
aisle  of  some  old  forest.  You  soon  discover 
that  the  transverse  arches  of  the  roof  which 
divide  the  bays  of  the  nave  are  pointed,  while 
the  arches  of  the  intersecting  ribs  are  still 
round.  This  was  the  first  apearance  of  a 
pointed  arch  in  a  nave  vault  in  England.  It 
was  a  notable  event  in  the  progress  of  Eng- 
lish architecture,  yet  this  vault  was  built  not 

120 


DURHAM 

later  than  1135  and  before  Gothic  archi- 
tecture was  born.  A  distinguished  English 
architect  has  said  that  it  would  be  difficult 
to  find  another  church  in  western  Europe 
which  at  this  time  was  so  far  on  the  way  to 
Gothic  as  Durham.  Yet  Durham  takes  rank 
as  one  of  England's  finest  examples  of  a 
genuine  Romanesque  church,  one  which  de- 
pends upon  the  great  thickness  of  its  walls 
rather  than  the  use  of  buttresses  to  resist  the 
thrust  of  its  vaulted  roof.  Durham's  beauti- 
ful ribbed  stone  vault  is  an  unusual  feature 
in  a  Romanesque  cathedral,  where  a  timber 
roof  over  the  nave  was  the  usual  form.  It 
was  the  use  of  the  great  pointed  arches  which 
made  this  stone  roof  possible.  If  you  could 
examine  the  interior  of  the  triforium  of  Dur- 
ham's nave,  you  would  discover  another  inter- 
esting hint  of  future  Gothic  times.  Within 
this  triforium  chamber  flying  buttresses  were 
built,  after  an  accident  had  happened  to  the 
choir  roof,  in  order  to  make  the  upper  walls 
of  the  nave  more  secure.  This  was  many 
years  before  flying  buttresses  were  used  in 
England  on  the  outside  of  a  church. 

In    1153,    Durham   had    a    young    bishop, 
twenty-five    years    old,    Hugh    Pudsey,    who 

121 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

with  the  enthusiasm  of  youth  planned  great 
things.  He  bought  for  life  the  earldom  of 
Northumbria  and  added  the  immense  powers 
of  a  Northumbrian  earl  to  those  of  the  bishop- 
ric. From  his  time  the  bishops  of  Durham 
ruled  not  only  the  patrimony  of  St.  Cuthbert 
from  the  Tyne  to  the  Tees,  but  part  of  North- 
umberland and  Yorkshire.  The  title  of  Earl 
Palatine  bestowed  upon  them  shows  the  atti- 
tude of  royalty  toward  these  prince-bishops, 
who  came  to  be  looked  upon  as  ruling  a  kind 
of  buffer  state  between  England  and  Scot- 
land. They  had  their  own  mint  and  coinage, 
their  own  courts  of  law,  appointed  judges, 
and  levied  taxes.  A  ducal  coronet  with  the 
episcopal  miter  issuing  from  it  was  the  old 
form  of  the  Durham  miter. 

Bishop  Pudsey  was  a  famous  builder.  His 
great  hall  in  Durham  Castle  is  still  preserved 
in  part,  with  its  beautiful  Norman  doorway, 
which,  fortunately,  came  to  light  in  the  last 
century.  He  also  undertook  a  Lady  Chapel 
at  the  east  end  of  the  Cathedral,  which  at  that 
time  ended  in  Norman  fashion  with  three 
semicircular  apses,  a  large  one,  at  the  end  of 
the  choir,  and  a  smaller  one  terminating  each 
aisle.      Pudsey   made   elaborate   preparations 

122 


DURHAM 

for  his  new  chapel,  bringing  marble  from 
Dorsetshire.  But  as  the  work  progressed, 
cracks  appeared,  and  the  bishop,  ascribing  it 
to  the  disapproval  of  St.  Cuthbert,  or  per- 
haps of  the  Lord  himself,  decided  to  try  the 
west  end.  To  his  persistent  devotion  we  owe 
the  beautiful  Galilee  chapel,  one  of  the  finest 
illustrations  of  the  transition  stage  from 
Romanesque  to  Gothic. 

You  step  into  the  Galilee  chapel  from  the 
Norman  nave  and  find  yourself  in  a  fairy- 
like structure  with  five  short  aisles  divided  by 
arches  resting  on  slender,  monolithic,  marble 
columns,  and  carved  with  the  most  luxuriant 
chevron  moldings.  Notice  the  capitals  with 
their  plain  volutes,  a  characteristic  form  of 
the  transitional  period.  What  satisfying  har- 
monies of  light  and  color  the  worshipers 
must  have  enjoyed  when  these  walls  were 
covered  with  frescoes,  some  fine  specimens  of 
which  still  remain.  The  meaning  of  Galilee 
is  obscure,  but  it  is  certain  that  it  referred  to 
the  least  sacred  part  of  the  church,  wherefore 
the  women-kind  of  that  day  had  the  good 
fortune  to  fall  heir  to  this  exquisite  little 
chapel.  Whether  justly  or  not,  the  tactful 
St.  Cuthbert  is  credited  with  an  antipathy  to 

123 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

women,  though  Bede,  Cuthbert's  contem- 
porary, makes  no  mention  of  it.  In  the  floor 
of  the  nave  just  west  of  the  great  north  door- 
way, you  will  see  a  broad  band  of  dark  mar- 
ble. At  this, safe  distance  from  St.  Cuthbert 
women  might  in  all  humility  enjoy  the  manly 
devotions  of  saint  and  sinner  at  his  shrine. 
Beyond  this  they  might  not  venture! 

Nevertheless,  a  far  more  distinguished  saint 
than  he  has  lent  the  sanctity  of  his  bones  to 
the  Galilee  chapel.  The  Venerable  Bede  was 
England's  first  great  scholar,  a  statesman,  an 
inspiring  teacher,  and  a  historian  whose 
famous  work,  "Bede's  Ecclesiastical  History 
of  England,"  is  still  quoted  as  an  authority. 
Not  far  north  of  Durham,  in  the  seventh  cen- 
tury, an  energetic  Roman  monk,  Benedict 
Biscop,  had  founded  two  monasteries,  St. 
Peter  at  Monk  Wearmouth  and  St.  Paul  at 
Jarrow,  enriching  them  with  art  treasures, 
relics,  and  manuscripts  gathered  in  his  jour- 
neys to  Rome.  Bede's  childhood  was  passed 
at  Monk  Wearmouth,  but  while  still  a  lad 
he  went  to  Jarrow,  and  there  remained 
throughout  his  life.  One  can  picture  this 
young  enthusiast  browsing  over  manuscripts 
with  the  delight  of  a  scholar  who,  during  his 

124 


NORTH    SIDE,    DURHAM    CATHEDRAL. 


Valentine  b  Sons,  Ltd.,  Inn ,1. . 

GALILLt    CmAPEL,    DURHAM    CATntLik/: 


DURHAM 

long  life,  compiled  treatises  upon  almost  every 
branch  of  human  knowledge.  Inspired  by 
Virgil,  he  even  ventured  to  test  his  skill  as  a 
poet.  His  remarkable  gifts  as  a  story  teller 
must  have  captivated  his  pupils,  who  included 
not  only  Jarrow's  six  hundred  monks  but 
strangers  from  all  over  Europe.  It  was  Bede 
who  first  introduced  into  England  the  use  of 
Christian  chronology,  B.C.  and  A.D.  super- 
seding the  old  Roman  A.  U.  C.  The  last 
and  most  cherished  undertaking  of  his  life 
was  his  translation  into  English  of  the  Gospel 
of  John,  completed  in  spite  of  steadily  failing 
strength  and  while,  with  indomitable  spirit,  he 
kept  the  death  angel  Avaiting  for  him.  Bede's 
school  at  Jarrow  and  Alcuin's  at  York  were 
the  great  schools  of  western  Europe  in  the 
eighth  century.  It  has  been  said  that  Ger- 
many owes  her  first  beginnings  of  Christian- 
ity to  teachers  trained  in  the  school  of  the 
Venerable  Bede. 

Bede,  who  died  in  735,  was  buried  at  Jar- 
row,  but  in  1022,  one  Elf  rid,  a  Durham 
monk,  stole  his  bones  and  put  them  in  Cuth- 
bert's  coffin,  deciding  that  two  such  saints 
belonged  together!  Bishop  Pudsey  removed 
them  to  a  golden  casket  and  erected  a  shrine 

125 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

above  it  in  his  Galilee  chapel.  When  Henry 
VIII  suppressed  the  monastery  in  1542,  the 
shrine  and  gold  casket  disappeared,  but  the 
bones  were  buried  on  the  spot.  Again  in 
1831  the  bones  were  exhumed,  enclosed  in  a 
lead-lined  receptacle,  and  on  the  stone  which 
had  covered  them  was  carved 

"Hac  sunt  in  Fossa 
Baedae   venerabilis   Ossa." 

From  the  Galilee  chapel  you  return  to  the 
east  end  of  the  church,  which  was  built  half 
a  century  later  than  the  Galilee.  Bishop 
Richard  le  Poore  had  already  begun  his 
beautiful  Early  English  cathedral  at  Salis- 
bury when  he  was  translated  to  Durham. 
Here  he  found  the  Norman  apses  of  the 
cathedral  in  an  unsafe  condition  and  began 
preparations  for  building  his  famous  "Chapel 
of  the  Nine  Altars."  It  was  not  actually  be- 
gun, however,  till  1242,  after  his  death.  By 
this  device  St.  Cuthbert's  Norman  church  is 
furnished  at  each  end  with  a  chapel  of 
strongly  contrasting  architecture.  Bishop 
Poore's  cathedral  at  Salisbury,  in  spite  of  its 
beautiful  proportions,  is  singularly  bare  of 
decoration.    Here  at  Durham  we  have  Early 

126 


DURHAM 

English  in  its  finest  development.  The  "Nine 
Altars"  are  carved  with  all  the  delightful 
variety  and  irregularity  which  was  one  of  the 
most  beguiling  features  of  early  Gothic  work. 
Notice  especially  the  very  beautiful  wall  ar- 
cade, the  best  effect  of  which  is  unfortunately 
marred  by  the  later  insertion  of  wall  tablets. 
Two  heads  wearing  linen  dust  caps,  carved 
in  the  quatrefoils  at  the  south  end  of  the 
arcade,  represent  suj^posedly  the  architect 
and  his  assistant.  You  can  feel  their  enthusi- 
asm for  this  chapel  in  the  fine  quality  of  the 
carving  and  its  constant  variety — dog  tooth 
for  the  moldings,  foliage  for  the  capitals, 
heads  for  corbels,  figures  of  men  and  animals 
for  brackets  and  bosses.  The  chapel  was 
some  forty  years  in  building,  so  its  east  wall 
of  nine  lancet  w^indows,  each  above  an  altar, 
was  probably  earlier  than  the  north  one,  where 
the  fine  geometrical  window  shows  the  first 
stage  of  the  Decorated  period.  This  is  known 
as  the  Joseph  window  from  its  early  glass, 
now  gone. 

The  floor  of  the  "Nine  Altars"  was  un- 
doubtedly made  lower  than  the  adjoining 
choir  to  allow  full  play  for  the  Gothic  roof 
without  carrying  it  above  the  church.    It  must 

127 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

have  been  no  slight  architectural  problem  to 
join  this  Gothic  chapel  to  the  Norman  church. 
That  the  transition  might  not  be  too  abrupt, 
the  most  eastern  Norman  pier  of  the  choir 
is  decorated  with  an  arcade  of  tall  Early 
English  shafts  and  the  adjoining  arch  on  the 
east  is  pointed.  Above  are  pointed  arches  in 
the  triforium  and  clerestory  with  dog-tooth 
decoration.  The  old  choir  roof  was  also  en- 
tirely remodeled.  Notice  how  different  it  is 
from  the  nave  and  yet  how  harmonious,  with 
two  transverse  arches  instead  of  one  to  each 
bay,  dog-tooth  instead  of  zigzag  moldings, 
and  other  differences.  On  the  platform  pro- 
jecting into  the  chapel  stood  the  Shrine  of 
St.  Cuthbert,  until  its  destruction  by  Henry 
VIII  about  1540.  Beneath  it  is  his  grave. 
According  to  Scott's  "Marmion," 

"There   deep    in    Durham's   Gothic   shade 
His  relics  are  in  secret  laid 
But  none  may  know  the  place." 

In  1827  his  grave  was  opened.  It  disclosed 
the  coffin  made  in  Henry  VIII's  time,  within 
which  were  many  bones  and  a  second  coffin. 
In  the  second  coffin  was  a  third  very  old  one 
carved  with  human   figures,   each   head   sur- 

128 


DURHAM 

rounded  by  a  nimbus.  The  skeleton  within 
this  oldest  coffin  was  entirely  intact.  It  had 
once  been  wrapped  in  various  coverings,  frag- 
ments of  which  remained,  and  within  these 
were  a  stole,  a  maniple,  a  girdle,  and  two 
gold  bracelets,  records  relating  to  which  go 
back  to  916.  A  comb  and  a  large  gold  cross 
decorated  with  garnets  and  of  workmanship 
of  the  seventh  century  were  also  found  among 
the  robes.  A  skull  found  in  the  grave  was 
presumably  that  of  King  Oswald.  The  bones 
placed  in  a  new  coffin  were  restored  to  their 
resting  place  and  the  articles  of  historic  value 
carefully  housed  in  the  cathedral  library. 

It  is  difficult  to  picture  to  ourselves  the 
brilliant  appearance  of  the  old  gray  Cathedral 
in  pre-Reformation  days.  In  the  "Nine  Al- 
tars" chapel  there  was  always  the  steady 
sparkle  of  candles  and  the  glimmering  of 
precious  gifts  to  its  numerous  saints.  Close 
by  was  Cuthbert's  shrine,  resplendent  with 
gold  and  jewels,  and  the  great  Neville  Screen 
behind  the  High  Altar,  now  denuded  of  its 
saints,  must  have  been  a  conspicuous  object 
with  one  hundred  and  seven  canopied  niches 
filled  with  figures  of  alabaster  profusely 
gilded  and  colored. 

129 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

The  high-water  mark  of  mihtarism  possible 
to  a  Bishop  of  Durham  was  illustrated  in  the 
case  of  Anthony  Bek,  in  the  early  fourteenth 
century.  His  retinue  was  one  hundred  and 
forty  knights,  and  riding  after  hawks  and 
hounds  was  his  delight.  He  was  said  to  have 
been  "very  haughty  to  barons  and  earls." 
Edward  I  found  his  diplomatic  advice  and 
vast  private  fortune  very  useful  in  his  Scotch 
wars,  for  Bek's  twenty-six  standard  bearers 
represented  five  thousand  foot  and  five  hun- 
dred horse.  The  bishop  had  a  memorable 
controversy  with  his  prior,  whom  he  besieged 
in  the  monastery.  The  monks  took  sides,  and 
the  local  barons,  who  objected  to  fighting  the 
Scots  except  in  defense  of  St.  Cuthbert, 
sustained  the  prior.  At  Bek's  death  he  had 
characteristically  added  to  his  other  titles 
Patriarch  of  Jerusalem  and  King  of  the  Isle 
of  Man! 

In  the  choir  you  have  already  noticed  the 
sumptuous  episcopal  throne,  erected  by 
Bishop  Hatfield  for  his  tomb.  In  his  time 
came  the  famous  victory  over  the  Scots  at 
Neville's  Cross  in  134.5.  The  banner  of  St. 
Cuthbert  had  been  taken  to  the  battlefield  by 
Prior  Fossor,  and  in  memory  of  this  victory 

130 


DURHAM 

a  hymn  of  thanksgiving  is  still  sung  on  the 
top  of  the  Central  Tower  at  each  anniversary 
of  the  battle,  on  May  29.  The  Xevilles,  one 
of  whom  led  the  English  army  at  this  time, 
had  two  bays  of  the  nave  set  apart  for  their 
tombs. 

When  Henry  VIII  broke  up  the  Bene- 
dictine monastery  and  substituted  a  dean  and 
canons,  Cuthbert  Tunstall,  one  of  the  most 
honored  bishops  of  Durham,  held  the  see. 
He  opposed  Henry's  supremacy,  though  he 
finally  yielded,  but  under  Edward  VI  went 
back  to  his  old  views.  In  Mary's  time,  how- 
ever, he  refused  to  practice  the  cruelties  of 
her  regime  and  bought  up  all  available  copies 
of  Tyndall's  New  Testament  in  order  to  avoid 
burning  heretics.  He  consistently  refused  to 
take  the  oath  of  supremacy  to  Elizabeth,  and 
was  deposed,  but  committed  to  the  kindly  care 
of  his  friend,  Archbishop  Parker  of  Canter- 
bury. Under  the  Commonwealth  Durham 
Castle  was  sold  to  the  mayor  of  London  and 
a  University  of  Durham  founded.  Cromwell 
housed  his  Scottish  prisoners  in  the  Cathedral 
after  Dunbar,  and  the  choir  stalls  suffered. 
But  at  the  Restoration  the  old  order  returned, 
and  Bishop  Cosin  spent  money  liberally  on 

131 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

the  Cathedral,  the  Castle,  and  the  Bishop's 
palace  at  Bishop  Auckland. 

To  visit  Durham's  monastic  quarters  you 
enter  the  cloisters  by  the  southwest  Monks' 
Door,  pausing  to  admire  the  beautiful  Nor- 
man doorway  and  the  fine  iron  work  on  the 
door  itself.  The  north  door  just  opposite  was 
once  similarly  adorned,  but  now  holds  only  the 
famous  sanctuary  knocker  as  its  relic  of  the 
past.  The  Watching  Chambers,  now  gone, 
were  just  above  the  north  door.  On  the  east 
side  of  the  cloisters  is  the  chapter  house  recent- 
ly restored  as  a  memorial  to  the  eminent 
scholar,  the  late  Bishop  Lightfoot.  This  chap- 
ter house  recalls  a  tragedy,  for  the  baleful  in- 
fluence of  Wyatt,  "the  restorer,"  fell  upon 
Durham  as  it  did  upon  Salisbury,  Lichfield, 
and  even  Westminster  Abbey.  In  1796, 
Wyatt  having  persuaded  the  authorities  that 
the  old  Norman  chapter  house,  the  finest  build- 
ing of  its  kind  in  England,  was  beyond  repair, 
pulled  it  down.  His  radical  schemes,  among 
them  one  for  tearing  down  the  Galilee  chapel 
and  making  a  driveway,  were  mercifully 
checked,  though  he  "freshened  up"  the  exterior 
of  the  Cathedral  by  trimming  off  moldings  and 

132 


IN    THE   TRIFORIUM,   DURHAM    CATHEDRAL. 


DURHAM 

other  evidences  of  antiquity,  leaving  it  sadly 
shaven  and  shorn. 

Great  changes  came  to  Durham  with  the 
nineteenth  century.  In  1834  the  revenues  of 
the  see  amounted  to  nearly  thirty-seven  thou- 
sand pounds  per  annum.  The  Ecclesiastical 
Conmiission  decreed  that  at  the  death  of 
Bishop  Van  INIildert  future  bishops  should 
receive  a  salary,  the  number  of  canons  be  de- 
creased, and  the  surplus  revenue  reserved  for 
a  fund  to  help  poorer  bishoprics.  Before  the 
death  of  Van  Mildert,  who  was  thus  the  last 
Earl  Palatine,  he,  with  the  dean  and  chapter, 
founded  and  endowed  the  Universitj^  of  Dur- 
ham, for  the  use  of  which  the  bishop  also  gave 
up  Durham  Castle. 

The  music  of  some  of  the  great  hymns  of 
the  Christian  Church  owes  its  inspiration  to 
this  noble  Cathedral.  Her  famous  precentor, 
John  B.  Dykes,  wrote  the  beautiful  "Lux  Be- 
nigna"  for  Newman's  "Lead,  Kindly  Light," 
and  this  with  scores  of  other  now  familiar 
hymns  remain  as  Dvn'ham's  gift  to  the  church 
of  the  coming  centuries. 

From  the  cloisters  you  visit  the  library, 
which  possesses  historic  treasures  of  inestima- 

133 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

ble  value.  Then,  by  way  of  the  fine  large 
crypt,  once  the  common  hall  of  the  monks, 
you  come  out  into  the  Cathedral  close,  em- 
bowered in  shrubbery  and  surrounded  by  the 
picturesque  houses  of  dean  and  canons.  The 
Central  Tower  of  the  Cathedral,  of  Perpen- 
dicular Gothic,  with  its  graceful  Bell  Ringers' 
Gallery,  rises  above  you.  It  is  evidently  far 
later  in  date  than  the  two  western  towers, 
which  in  part,  at  least,  go  back  to  Norman 
days.  To  see  these  great  towers  at  their  best 
you  enter  a  shadowy  passageway  sloping 
down  to  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  and  then  by  a 
gentle  descent  through  a  park  of  fine  old 
trees  reach  the  Prebends'  Bridge,  where  a 
tablet  on  its  further  end  is  inscribed  with 
Scott's  famous  and  oft  quoted  lines, 

"Half  church  of  God,  half  castle  'gainst  the  Scot." 

Looking  across  the  river  you  have  one  of  the 
greatest  of  all  views  of  the  Cathedral,  its 
towers  rising  in  an  imposing  group  above  the 
Galilee  chapel,  half  hidden  in  the  tree  tops. 
You  are  no  longer  conscious  of  its  fighting 
qualities;  only  of  the  noble  grandeur  of  the 
great  church,  one  which  in  these  later  days  has 
stood  forth  as  an  emblem  of  peace.    The  little 

134 


DURHAM 

city  clustered  far  below  the  Cathedral  is  the 
home  of  thousands  of  miners.  In  1892  a 
great  industrial  conflict  raged  for  three 
months  over  the  north  country  and  eighty 
thousand  workers  were  suffering.  Then  Dur- 
ham's Bishop  Westcott,  with  his  keen, 
scholarly  intellect,  grasp  of  social  conditions, 
sympathy,  and  enthusiasm,  drew  the  discord- 
ant elements  together  and  healed  the  breach, 
helping  to  establish  a  conciliation  board  for 
future  difficulties.  His  final  public  appear- 
ance in  the  Cathedral  was  on  Miners'  Gala 
Day  in  1901,  when,  in  the  last  address  of  his 
life,  he  said,  "At  the  present  time  Durham 
offers  to  the  world  the  highest  type  of  indus- 
trial concord  which  has  yet  been  fashioned." 


135 


PLA/1  or 
CAThLDRAL 


186 


BRIEF    SUMMARY    FOR    THE    TRAVELER 

Cathedral  begun  in  1093.     Finest  Existing  Example 
OF  A  Norman  Romanesque  Church. 

Plan:     Cruciform,   with   chapels   at   east   and  west 
ends. 

Choir  (1093-99) 

Norman  arches,  triforium,  clerestory,  and  aisles.  No- 
tice the  eastern  bay,  rebuilt  in  13th  century  to  connect 
with  adjoining  Early  English  work.  Vaulted  roof  was 
rebuilt  at  same  period.  The  dog-tooth  ornament  diflfer- 
ent  from  that  of  nave.  Neville  screen  of  Gothic  Stone- 
work and  Bishop  Hatfield's  throne  and  tomb,  both  14th 
century  work.  Choir  stalls,  17th  century  imitation  of 
Perpendicular   work.      Choir  Screen  modern. 

Transepts  (1093-99) 

Norman  arches,  triforium,  clerestory,  and  aisles. 

Large  window  in  north  transept:  about  1362.  Late 
Geometrical  tracery.  In  1512  glass  repaired  and  new 
glass  representing  "Four  Doctors"  of  the  church  in- 
serted, Augustine,  Ambrose,  Gregory,  and  Jerome. 
Large  window  in  south  transept;  Te  Deum  window, 
Perpendicular  style,  probably   15th  century. 

Central  Tower  (Piers  1093-96) 

Rests  on  Norman  piers  and  semicircular  arches,  but 
Perpendicular  in  style,  late  15th  century.  Gallery  77 
feet  above  the  floor.     Two  tall  windows  on  each  face  of 

137 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

the  tower.  String  course  carved  with  Tudor  rose,  a 
characteristic  Perpendicular  ornament,  just  below  win- 
dows. Exterior:  Perpendicular  windows  in  two  stories, 
divided  by  Bell  Ringers'  Gallery.  Height  of  tower,  218 
feet. 

West  Towers  (1128) 

Norman  up  to  the  roof  of  nave.  Four  upper  tiers 
presumably  13th  century.  Tall  wooden  spires  removed 
in  17th  century.  Present  pinnacles  and  parapets  added 
in  18th  century. 

Nave  (1099-1133) 

Norman.  Aisles  have  interlacing  arcade  and  stone 
vaulting.  Notice  that  there  are  two  arches  to  each  bay 
of  nave.  Plain  octagonal  capitals  of  heavy  columns. 
Four-sided  capitals  on  all  smaller  columns.  Square  bil- 
let molding  on  face  of  main  arches,  zigzag  or  chevron 
beneath. 

Stone  vault  of  nave:  ribs  with  round  arches,  spring- 
ing from  corbels  carved  with  heads.  Notice  that  the 
transverse  arches  are  pointed,  rising  from  floor  shafts. 

Remains  of  Watching  Chambers  over  north  door. 
West  window  of  nave  14th  century  late  Geometrical 
tracery.  Southwestern  or  Monks'  Doorway:  late  Nor- 
man carving.  Notice  Norman  iron  work  ox).  door  itself 
on  Cloister  side.  Cover  of  Font  17th  century,  mixture 
of  Classic  and  Gothic  forms.  Font  modern.  Notice 
band  of  stone  in  pavement  at  west  end,  excluding  women. 

Exterior:  Wall  arcade  an  early  feature;  north  door 
reconstructed  by  Wyatt,  1796. 

138 


DURHAM 

Chapter  House  (1140) 

Norman,  1140.  Destroyed  in  1796.  Rebuilt  after 
old  design,  1895. 

Galilee  Chapel  (1175) 

Transition  Norman.  Five  aisles,  divided  by  arcades 
of  four  bays  each.  Arches  round,  with  three  lines  of 
chevron  and  two  plain  roll  moldings.  Capitals  carved 
with  a  volute  under  a  square  abacus.  Arches  rest  on 
two  original  marble  columns  and  two  of  stone  added 
later.  Present  roof  and  three  perpendicular  windows 
on  west  end  early  15th  century.  Remains  of  once  ex- 
tensive frescoes.  Great  west  door  into  nave  closed  and 
two  small  doors  cut  through  in  early  15th  century.  Five 
massive  exterior  buttresses  added  at  the  same  time. 
Tomb  of  Bede. 

Crypt 

Early  13th  century.  Common  Hall  of  the  monks, 
once  adjoined  by  a  garden  and  bowling  alley.  Treas- 
ury beyond  iron  grating. 

Chapel  of  the  Nine  Altars  (1242) 

Early  English.  In  east  wall  nine  lancet  windows 
with  modern  glass.  Original  glass  removed  by  Wyatt, 
some  fragments  of  it  in  Rose  Window.  Rose  window 
reconstructed  in  15th  century  and  again  by  Wyatt  in 
18th.  Joseph  window  in  north  wall:  Geometrical 
tracery.  St.  Cuthbert  window  in  south  wall:  Perpen- 
dicular tracery,  original  glass  gone  from  both  windows. 
Exterior  of  chapel:  Pinnacles  added  by  Wyatt. 

Cloisters  (1388-1418) 

Novices'  scliool  formerly  in  west  alley.  Dormitory 
now  forms  cathedral  librar^^ 

139 


CHAPTER    VI 

ELY 

ELY,  one  of  the  smallest  of  cathedral 
towns,  lies  in  the  midst  of  the  great 
fen  district  of  England.  The  very 
name  of  its  river,  the  Ouse  (ooze),  conjures 
up  a  vision  of  slow-moving  waters,  drenched 
fields,  submerged  tree  trunks,  and  fathomless 
black  soil.  You  remember  how  the  beauty 
of  the  fen  appealed  to  Charles  Kingsley,  who 
summed  it  up  in  one  poetic  line,  "As  of  the 
sea,  of  boundless  expanse  and  freedom." 

This  vast  region  has  been  these  many  cen- 
turies drained  and  diked.  The  modern  fen 
tax  makes  every  man  a  trustee  of  his  neigh- 
bor's welfare,  and  fair  pasture  lands  alternate 
with  luxuriant  fields  of  grain  sprinkled  with 
scarlet  poppies.  Though  the  "Isle  of  Ely" 
has  long  since  been  drained  out  of  existence 
and  the  gentle  eminence  which  formed  its 
ancient  stronghold  is  no  longer  encircled  by 

140 


F.  Frith  &  Co  ,  Ltil  ,  Riigati'. 

TOWER    AND   OCTAGON,    ELY   CATHEDRAL, 


ELY 

the  river,  yet  it  is  still  in  law  and  history  and 
poetry  and  in  all  reverence  the  "Isle  of  Ely," 
to  remain  so,  let  us  hope,  while  one  stone  of 
its  historic  minster  remains. 

Coming  up  from  the  station  by  the  "Back 
Hill"  road,  you  pass  under  the  medieval  "Ely 
Porta"  and  are  in  the  precincts  of  the  old 
monastery.  Looking  up  the  slope  over  a 
splendid  rolling  meadow  dotted  with  fine  old 
trees,  you  have  j^our  first  view  of  the  Cathe- 
dral stretching  its  huge  length  along  the  high- 
est point  of  the  "Isle."  Something  of  the 
spell  of  the  fen  country  seems  to  cling  about 
it,  a  sense  of  mystery  and  enchantment.  At 
the  first  glance  you  notice,  rising  above  the 
middle  of  the  great  building,  between  the 
transepts,  a  veritable  fairy  creation,  a  mar- 
velous stone  octagon,  pierced  with  windows 
and  delicate  tracery  and  fringed  with  light- 
some pinnacles,  while  lifted  above  it  still 
higher  is  an  eight-sided  lantern  which  crowns 
the  dome.  Few  architects  before  or  since 
this  dome  was  built  have  dreamed  and  dared 
so  greatly,  and  the  fame  of  Alan  of  Walsing- 
ham's  work  gave  Ely  a  prestige  throughout 
Europe.  We  look  along  the  west  roof  of  the 
Cathedral  and  note  the  upper  row  of  windows 

141 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

of  a  great  Norman  nave,  completed  with  a 
huge  west  tower  and  transepts,  and  we  are 
conscious  of  a  touch  of  awesomeness  in  the 
presence  of  this  gigantic  building.  That  west 
tower  is  no  fairy  structure,  but  a  great  bul- 
wark of  massive  Norman  architecture  tur- 
reted  and  buttressed  like  a  fortress.  There 
seems  a  kind  of  noble  defiance  in  its  attitude 
w^hich  savors  of  the  pre-Norman  history  of 
Ely,  when  its  predecessor  confronted  the  Con- 
queror and  his  hosts.  The  impression  is  deep- 
ened as  you  pass  around  to  the  front  and  dis- 
cover that  one  of  the  two  supporting  tran- 
septs has  been  torn  away,  leaving  only  scars 
behind  it.  When  and  how  it  w^ent,  no  record 
survives  to  tell.  The  tower,  sufficient  unto 
itself,  guards  its  secret. 

The  origin  of  Ely  goes  back  to  a  patron 
saint,  Etheldreda  or  Awdry,  an  East  Anglian 
princess.  Twice  reluctantly  married,  she  re- 
ceived the  Isle  of  Ely  as  dowry  from  her  first 
husband;  and  when  she  fled  from  her  s-econd, 
Ely  became  a  refuge  where  she  founded  a 
monastery  of  monks  and  nuns  and  ruled  as 
the  first  abbess  in  673.  The  Danes  harried 
the  monastery  in  870,  but  for  a  hundred  years 
superstitious  fears  kept  profane  hands  from 

142 


ELY 

molesting  the  white  marble  sarcophagus  of 
the  saint  resting  amid  the  ruins.  In  the  quiet 
days  of  Saxon  Edgar  new  monasteries  arose, 
Ely  was  rebuilt,  a  group  of  Benedictines  in- 
stalled, and  in  970  Archbishop  Dunstan  conse- 
crated its  first  abbot,  Brihtnoth. 

Another  hundred  years  was  yet  to  pass  be- 
fore the  shadow  of  the  Norman  fell  over  the 
land,  and  the  abbots  of  Ely  flourished  apace. 
Wealth  poured  into  the  abbey.  One  optimis- 
tic soul,  Earl  Brihtnoth,  whose  bones  rest  in 
the  church  to-day,  found  life  good  in  spite  of 
its  uncertainties  and  shared  his  possessions 
with  the  abbey.  He  lost  his  life  in  a  raid  of 
Danish  vikings ;  yet,  as  he  breathed  his  last,  an 
old  ballad  tells  that  he  thanked  the  God  of 
nations  "for  all  the  joy  I  have  had  in  life." 
Then  came  the  Norman  invasion  and  the  last 
stand  of  the  English  under  Hereward  the 
Wake,  vir  strenuissimus  according  to  the  old 
Chronicles,  and  in  Kingsley's  fascinating  tale 
he  bears  out  his  reputation.  INIany  abbots 
bowed  to  William  to  save  their  monasteries 
and  then  were  humiliated  by  his  contemptuous 
followers.  But  stout-hearted  Abbot  Thurstan 
of  Ely,  remembering  the  fen  people's  devotion 
to  Harold,  stood  firm;  and  his  abbey  tower, 

143 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

visible  far  and  wide,  became  the  symbol  of 
refuge  for  the  English. 

Happenings  so  remote  have  left  us  only  the 
faintest  reminder  after  nine  hundred  years, 
but  you  find  it  worth  while  to  climb  the  west 
tower  even  to  the  extent  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  stejDS  to  look  out  upon  the  wide 
fenland.  Below  you  are  the  ancient  monas- 
tery buildings  now  used  by  the  dean  and 
canons.  It  is  June,  and  the  high-walled  gar- 
dens are  brilliant  with  roses.  Along  the  top 
of  the  walls,  radiant  blossoms  are  springing, 
apparently  from  no  soil  whatever,  while  pink 
and  white  snapdragons,  still  more  daring,  nod 
from  some  crevice  high  up  in  the  Cathedral 
itself.  Far  off  to  the  southwest  you  can  dis- 
cern Haddenham  tower;  and  beyond,  on  a  low 
hill,  is  Aldreth,  where  William  the  Norman 
built  his  fatal  bridge  over  the  mire  of  the  fen. 
Kingsley  describes  vividly  the  tragedy  whicli 
ensued  when  the  Normans,  eager  for  sjDoil, 
overcrowded  the  unstable  structure. 

"That  which  The  Wake  had  foreseen  was  come  at 
last.  The  bridge,  strained  more  and  more  by  its 
living  burden,  and  by  the  falling  tide,  had  parted, — 
not  at  the  Ely  end,  where  the  sliding  of  the  sow 
took  off  the  pressure, — but  at  the  end  nearest  the 

144 


ELY 

camp.  One  sideway  roll  it  gave,  and  then,  turning 
over,  engulfed  in  that  foul  stream  the  flower  of  Nor- 
man chivalry ;  leaving  a  line  full  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
in  length — of  wretches  drowning  in  the  dark  water, 
or,  more  hideous  still,  in  the  bottomless  slime  of 
peat  and  mud.  Thousands  are  said  to  have  perished. 
Their  armor  and  weapons  were  found  at  times  by 
delvers  and  dikers  for  centuries  after ;  are  found 
at  times  unto  this  da}^,  beneath  the  rich  drained 
cornfields  which  now  fill  up  that  black  half  mile." 

Returning  from  the  tower,  the  interior 
beauty  of  the  Cathedral  captivates  you,  one 
long  sweep  of  nave  and  crossing  and  choir  five 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  from  the  west  door 
clear  up  to  the  lovely  lancet  windows  of  the 
east  end.  The  carved  open-work  screen  just 
west  of  the  choir  forms  no  appreciable  barrier 
to  the  view.  You  walk  slowly  up  through  the 
nave,  one  of  the  longest  in  England.  Here 
are  no  tall  "Perpendicular"  arches,  as  at  Can- 
terbury. Instead  you  have  a  row  of  round, 
massive  Xorman  arches,  with  lighter  double 
arches  in  the  triforium  above,  and  still  higher 
the  round-headed  windows  of  the  clerestory, 
the  small  arches  on  each  side  of  them  giving 
a  triple  effect.  It  is  as  simple  and  majestic 
as   a   Greek   temple,   restful   and   impressive. 

145 


AN  ENGLISH   CATIIKDRAL  JOUUNFA' 

There  is  no  wonderful  stone-vaulted  roof  here, 
as  at  Durham,  nor  was  Ely's  Norman  arclii- 
teet  lavish  of  decoration  in  his  nave;  but  the 
rather  tall  arches  are  very  graceful,  and  the 
light  color  of  the  stone  gives  a  cheerful  tone  to 
the  solid  Xorman  masonry.  Above  is  a  flat 
roof,  which  was  placed  upon  the  open  timbers 
as  late  as  1858  and  decorated  with  scenes  de- 
picting the  sacred  history  of  man.  The  artist 
used  as  suggestions  for  liis  design  a  twelfth 
century  psalter  and  also  an  unaltered  twelfth 
century  ceiling  at  Hildesheim,  Germany.  He 
employed  much  gold  in  his  work,  and  sub- 
dued shades  of  blue  and  green  and  red,  with 
very  harmonious  effect.  Wlien  the  sun  shines 
in  through  the  double  portal  at  the  west, 
the  whole  nave  becomes  radiant  with  a  golden 
glow,  mingled  with  rainbow  tints  reflected 
from  above. 

The  nave  and  north  and  south  transepts 
represent  the  earliest  years  of  the  j^i'esent 
Cathedral.  The  Conqueror  installed  as  abbot 
one  of  his  kinsmen,  the  zealous  though  vener- 
able Abbot  Simeon.  Simeon,  like  his  Biblical 
namesake,  was  not  prepared  to  depart  in 
peace,  even  at  the  age  of  ninety,  without  a  new 
vision  of  the  future,  and  so  he  began  building 

146 


ELY 

a  new  abbey  church  in  1083.  He  planned  it 
on  a  big  scale,  the  double  aisles  in  his  tran- 
septs being  a  very  unusual  feature  in  English 
cathedrals.  The  foundations  of  his  Norman 
choir  show  that  it  ended  in  a  semicircular  apse, 
and  the  great  vaulting  arches  at  its  entrance 
still  stand.  Much  of  his  ten  years  of  work 
may  be  seen  in  the  lower  tier  of  Norman 
arches  of  the  north  and  south  transepts.  Ab- 
bot Richard,  who  followed  Simeon,  finished 
the  choir  and  transepts;  and  a  great  celebra- 
tion was  held  in  1106,  when  the  coffins  of  St. 
Etheldreda  and  the  other  abbesses  were  placed 
behind  the  altar  in  the  new  Norman  choir. 
These  relics  had  increased  much  in  sanctity 
with  age,  and  were  the  object  of  many  pil- 
grimages. 

Richard  was  the  last  abbot.  Henry  I  made 
Ely  a  bishopric,  and  the  "Liberties  of  Ethel- 
dreda," as  her  extensive  possessions  were 
called,  made  the  monastery  a  formidable  po- 
litical power.  They  were  divided  between  the 
bishop  and  the  prior,  who  became  the  head 
of  the  convent.  Ely  is  unusual  in  having  no 
bishop's  throne.  The  bishop  took  the  abbot's 
chair  in  the  Choir,  and  the  dean  now  occupies 
the  prior's. 

Ii7 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

As  you  look  back  toward  the  west  door,  you 
are  puzzled  to  account  for  the  tall  pointed 
"Perpendicular"  arches  wliich  support  the 
Norman  tower.  A  closer  inspection  reveals 
the  original  arches  above  them,  showing  that 
the  tower  had  to  be  braced  about  the  fifteenth 
century.  There  seems  to  have  been  much 
juggling  with  this  western  tower.  Bishop 
Ridell,  who  built  it  in  1174-89,  carried  it  up  to 
the  top  of  the  first  row  of  battlements  on  the 
outside.  You  notice  that  the  section  above  is 
quite  different  from  the  rest  of  the  tower. 
The  tall  "Decorated"  window  indicates  that  it 
was  a  hundred  years  later.  Before  the  latter 
part  was  added  the  tower  had  a  lead-covered, 
wooden  spire,  and  when  the  decorated  section 
was  substituted,  a  spire  was  again  placed  on 
top.  The  tower  was  a  cause  of  uneasiness  for 
centuries,  for  the  central  tower  of  the  Cathe- 
dral had  early  collapsed  and  the  western  tran- 
sept had  also  fallen.  The  spire  was  finally  re- 
moved about  a  hundred  years  ago. 

This  Norman  front  possesses  great  fas- 
cination. It  must  have  been  a  splendid  struc- 
ture when  the  two  wings  were  complete  and 
buttressed  the  big  tower  with  their  four 
flanking    turrets.      It    is    a    most    beautiful 

148 


ELY 

specimen  of  Xorman  work.  Follow  the  lines 
of  arcading  upward  and  see  how  they  de- 
velop from  round-headed  to  trefoiled  arches 
and  then  to  pointed  forms.  The  rich  dec- 
orations remind  you  of  those  Byzantine  qual- 
ities of  the  Norman  style  which  we  saw 
illustrated  in  the  nave  of  Rochester.  The 
octagonal  top,  with  its  curvilinear  window  so 
different  from  the  rest,  seems  to  have  been  an 
attempt  to  harmonize  it  with  Alan's  octagon 
finished  a  few  years  earlier.  A  great  gateway 
something  like  the  still  surviving  "Ely  Porta" 
once  bridged  the  neighboring  street  still 
known  as  the  Gallery,  and  over  the  top  of  the 
gateway  ran  a  passage  connecting  the 
bishop's  palace  with  the  Cathedral.  The 
doorway,  now  walled  up,  on  the  south  wall 
of  the  transej^t  is  still  visible  from  the  dean's 
garden,  and  the  beautiful  palace  just  across 
the  street  is  a  dignified  building,  its  finely 
wrought  architectural  details  and  harmonious 
proportions  giving  it  an  air  of  distinction. 

The  interior  of  the  west  transept  is  quite  in 
accord  with  the  beauties  of  its  exterior. 
Whatever  the  nave  lacks  of  decorative  detail 
is  fully  made  up  here  in  this  most  charming  of 
transition-Norman  chapels,  called  St.  Catha- 

149 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

rine's  and  used  as  a  baptistery.  The  walls  are 
adorned  with  arcades  of  interlacing  or  plain, 
round  arches,  rising  tier  above  tier  and  ex- 
hibiting great  variety  of  design.  It  is  finished 
on  the  east  with  a  semicircular  apse,  a  charac- 
teristic Norman  feature. 

Two  circumstances  prevented  Ely  from  re- 
maining almost  entirely  a  Norman  building. 
The  first  was  the  coming  in  of  the  Early  Eng- 
lish style,  and  the  second  the  collapse  of  her 
central  Norman  tower. 

El}'^  is  famed  among  English  cathedrals 
for  her  Early  English  architecture.  You  have 
already  noticed  the  remarkable  porch  which 
buttresses  the  western  tower,  by  common  con- 
sent one  of  the  most  exquisite  of  Early  Eng- 
lish effects.  From  the  outside  nothing  could 
be  more  striking  than  the  airy  grace  of  this 
porch  in  contrast  with  the  solid  tower  behind 
it.  To  think  of  it  as  buttressing  anything 
seems  almost  ludicrous.  Note  the  three 
shapely  lancet  windows  above  the  door,  with 
their  deeply  cut  moldings  at  the  sides  and 
capitals  with  leaf  designs.  Smaller  arches 
cover  both  front  and  side  walls  and  art 
wrought  with  trefoils  and  other  characteristic 
forms,  the  corners  of  the  porch  being  finished 

150 


ELY 

with  slender  shafts  terminating  In  points. 
Within  the  porch  a  figure  of  Etheldreda, 
forming  a  tiny  stained-glass  window  of  an- 
cient date,  looks  out  from  above  the  double 
doorway  into  the  even  more  beautiful  interior. 
Low  stone  seats  run  along  the  sides,  adorned 
with  tref oiled  arches  above  and  below.  Varied 
and  finely  wrought  carving  enriches  the  door- 
way, which  though  more  elaborate  is  similar  to 
that  in  front.  It  is  all  exuberant,  yet  re- 
strained, as  in  the  best  Greek  work,  which  per- 
haps was  the  reason  why  Professor  Freeman 
called  it  "a  Greek  portico  translated  into 
Gothic  language." 

The  coming  of  the  pointed  arch  into  Eng- 
land has  been  ascribed  to  the  Crusaders. 
Whatever  its  origin,  the  transition  from  Nor- 
man to  Early  English  reveals  the  spread  of 
ideas  between  England  and  the  continent.  The 
new  spirit  of  Gothic  art  struggling  for  ex- 
pression in  France  and  Italy  was  bound  to 
work  itself  out  in  England  also,  and  the 
monasteries  with  their  schools  and  great  build- 
ing enterprises  attracted  men  eager  to  express 
their  ideas.  Bishop  Eustace,  to  whom  the 
porch  is  attributed,  died  in  1215,  when  English 
Gothic  was  just  beginning  to  make  itself  felt. 

151 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

As  you  compare  the  porch  with  the  tower  you 
see  in  the  pointed  arches  and  use  of  the  tre- 
foil indications  of  the  coming  change  of  style. 
Ely  has  suffered  more  than  once  in  the  inter- 
est of  "improvements."  She  had  a  narrow 
escape  in  1757,  when  an  architect  advised  the 
destruction  of  this  porch  instead  of  spending 
money  on  repairs,  since  "this  part  of  the 
building  is  neither  ornamental  nor  useful." 
Fortunately  the  dean  and  chapter  thought 
otherwise. 

The  next  striking  break  with  Norman 
traditions  at  Ely  was  made  when  Bishop 
Hugh  de  Northwold,  in  1234-54,  extended 
Abbot  Simeon's  choir  a  hundred  feet  east- 
ward, for  the  crowds  of  pilgrims  who  came 
to  make  their  offerings  at  the  Cathedral's 
shrine  could  with  difficulty  be  accommodated 
in  the  old  Norman  choir.  You  enter  the  choir, 
and  passing  by  the  first  three  arches,  come  to  a 
bold  circular  Norman  shaft  rising  straight  to 
the  roof  and  marking  the  end  of  the  old  choir. 
The  six  arches  east  of  it  are  Northwold's 
presbytery  and  like  the  porch  a  notable  ex- 
ample of  Early  English.  The  characteristic 
signs  of  the  new  period  you  note  in  the  groups 
of  lancet  windows,  the  slender  columns  and 

152 


ELY 

leaf  capitals  with  the  round  abacus  above 
each  instead  of  the  square  block  of  the  Nor- 
man, the  trefoils  between  the  arches  and 
quatrefoils  over  the  windows,  which  are  strik- 
ing contrasts  of  light  and  dark  stone. 

The  Gothic  roof  is  especially  interesting. 
Between  the  lower  arches  are  richly  carved 
bracket-like  projections  or  corbels  of  dark  Pur- 
beck  marble,  and  above  these  rise  clusters  of 
slender  columns  which  run  straight  up  beside 
the  triforium  arches  to  the  bottom  of  the  clere- 
story windows  and  there  spread  out,  forming 
the  ribs  of  a  beautiful  stone  vault,  the  ribs 
being  joined  to  those  from  the  opposite  side  by 
a  slender  molding  running  lengthwise  along 
the  middle  of  the  roof.  The  plan  of  the  Nor- 
man nave  of  double  arches  in  the  triforium 
and  triple  arches  in  the  clerestory  is  repeated 
here ;  but  the  double  triforium  arches,  with  tre- 
foiled  heads  and  quatrefoil  pattern  above  and 
dqg-tooth  moldings  at  the  sides,  are  as  differ- 
ent as  possible  from  their  sober  Norman  neigh- 
bors of  the  nave.  All  this  is  part  of  the 
Gothic  scheme  involved  in  securing  the  grace- 
ful vaulted  roof.  The  main  lines  of  construc- 
tion tend  upward  and  the  sense  of  lightness 
and  luxuriance  about  it  all  makes  it  seem  un- 

153 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

necessary  to  have  the  columns  which  support 
the  roof  rest  upon  the  ground.  You  observe 
that  they  do  not,  yet  the  general  effect  is 
both  buoyant  and  secure. 

Of  course  the  weight  of  the  roof  is  carried 
by  other  means  than  these  slender  vaulting 
shafts,  but  it  is  very  interesting  to  see  how  the 
Early  English  architects  treated  this  feature. 
The  Angel  Choir  at  Lincoln  is  similar  to  this 
at  Ely.  At  Salisbury  the  corbels  of  the  shafts 
are  placed  high  up  in  the  triforium.  In  the 
Early  English  Nine  Altars  at  Durham,  and 
in  the  Decorated  Nave  at  Lichfield,  as  in  St. 
Hugh's  Early  English  Choir  at  Lincoln,  the 
shafts  rest  on  the  ground.  By  the  time  Can- 
terbury's Perpendicular  Nave  came  in,  the 
short  form  of  shafts  had  passed. 

Before  you  study  the  next  stage  of  the 
Cathedral  you  must  see  the  eastern  facade  of 
this  interesting  presbytery,  looking  down  as 
it  does  upon  a  trim  green  lawn  which  stretches 
away  from  it  in  the  traditional  English 
fashion.  It  is  very  beautiful,  and  you  enjoy 
again  the  fine  grouping  of  the  lancet  windows, 
reinforced  on  the  outside  with  a  row  in  the 
gable  not  visible  within.  You  protest  in  spirit 
at  the  substitution  of  later  windows  of  a  dif- 

154 


ELY 

fereiit  type  in  the  lower  corners,  thus  marring 
the  original  design,  for  this  is  one  of  the  finest 
Early  English  facades  in  England. 

It  is  plain  that  the  fen  country  people  loved 
the  sunshine  of  their  treeless  marshes  and 
were  not  content  with  the  religious  gloom  of 
their  old  abbey  chiu'ch.  Bishop  and  prior 
were  constantly  making  changes  to  let  in  the 
light.  You  notice  one  of  the  most  surprising 
of  these  attempts  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  baj^s 
of  the  presbytery,  where  some  unknown  archi- 
tect cut  out  a  section  of  the  sloping  roof  of 
the  triforium  so  that  a  flood  of  light  fell  on 
the  shrine  of  St.  Etheldreda  just  below.  Then 
he  inserted  curvilinear  windows  in  the  two 
arches  of  the  triforium,  which  were  left  roof- 
less. The  effect  on  the  outside  is  very  extra- 
ordinary, breaking  the  lines  of  the  triforium 
roof  and  hardly  reflecting  credit  on  the  archi- 
tect. About  this  time  the  lancet  windows  of 
the  aisles  and  triforium  throughout  the  choir 
were  changed  to  large  curvilinear  windows, 
though  some  of  these,  showing  Perpendicular 
tracery,  belong  to  a  later  time;  then  the  en- 
thusiasm communicated  itself  also  to  the  win- 
dows of  the  triforium  in  the  nave,  where  the 
outside  walls  were  built  higher  so  that  Per- 

155 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

pendicular    windows    might    light    the    dark 
triforium  gallery. 

In  1322  the  square  Norman  tower  in  the 
center  of  the  Cathedral  fell  with  a  great  noise. 
The  whole  city  trembled  and  people  thought 
there  was  an  earthquake,  but  the  calamity  be- 
came in  the  end  a  blessing.  The  Cathedral 
had  at  that  time  a  notable  bishop,  John 
Hotham,  Chancellor  and  Treasurer  of  Eng- 
land, an  enlightened  prior,  John  Crauden, 
and  a  sacrist,  Alan  of  Walsingham,  an  ad- 
mirable architect  whose  gifts  became  con- 
spicuous under  the  Cathedral's  need.  He  had 
genius,  and  he  feared  not  to  depart  from  ol  I 
precedents.  The  ponderous  Norman  towe  ■ 
with  its  limited  supply  of  light  had  gone,  and 
it  was  borne  in  upon  Alan  that  the  unusually 
large  transepts  might  be  utilized  to  produce 
a  superb  effect.  By  cutting  off  the  corners 
of  the  former  nave  and  choir,  at  the  crossing, 
he  secured  a  great  open  space,  77  feet  across, 
in  the  center  of  the  church,  where  he  laid  deep 
the  foundations  of  eight  piers  instead  of  four. 
Upon  these  he  raised  his  eight-sided  Gothic 
dome,  its  stone  Octagon  forming  the  most 
artistic  and  conspicuous  object  on  the  exterior 
of  the  church.     It  was  a  skillful  engineering 

156 


ELY 

feat  to  balance  the  great  mass  of  stone  so 
dexterously  above  his  wooden  roof.  Nor  did 
he  attempt  stone  for  the  lantern  above,  but 
sent  far  and  wide  over  England  for  eight 
great  oak  trees,  sixty-three  feet  long  and  three 
feet  thick.  These,  sheathed  with  lead  and 
firmly  braced,  held  the  dome  steady  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-two  feet  above  the  pavement. 
Alan's  four  blank  walls,  the  shorter  sides  of 
his  Octagon,  he  pierced  with  four  immense 
curvilinear  windows  and  steadied  by  great 
double  flying  buttresses  on  the  outside  at  the 
angles  of  nave  and  transept.  On  the  inside 
the  lantern  rises  lightly  from  groups  of  small 
clustered  colunms  resting,  like  Northwold's 
roof,  upon  brackets.  Within  the  lantern  it- 
self are  thirty-two  panels  painted  with  figures 
of  angels,  above  them  an  equal  number  of 
windows,  and  in  the  very  center  of  tlie  dome 
a  figure  of  Christ  with  his  hand  raised  in 
blessing.  The  whole  has  been  decorated  in 
recent  years  by  JNIr-  Parry,  in  harmony  with 
the  nave. 

In  1321,  just  a  year  before  the  great 
catastrophe,  Alan  of  Walsingham  had  laid 
the  corner  stone  of  Ely's  Lady  Chapel,  east  of 
the  church.    This  chapel,  forty-six  feet  wide,  is 

157 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

said  to  have  the  widest  single-span  stone  roof 
in  England,  a  foot  wider  even  than  York's 
nave,  which  its  huilders  did  not  venture  to 
cover  with  a  stone  vault.  The  Early  English 
period  had  passed  in  Walsingham's  time  and 
the  later  Decorated  Gothic,  when  profusely 
carved,  sometimes  seems  to  modern  taste 
rather  overloaded.  But  it  was  at  this  period 
that  England  attained  her  highest  develop- 
ment in  the  details  of  Gothic  art.  Her  skilled 
workmen  had  the  genius  and  enthusiasm  of 
the  born  artist,  and  their  work  which  remains 
is  a  priceless  possession.  No  wonder  that 
when  the  famous  architect  Pugin  visited  this 
chapel  and  saw  the  mutilation  of  its  match- 
less carvings,  he  burst  into  tears  and  said, 
"O  God,  what  has  England  done  to  deserve 
this."  To  repair  the  damage  would  cost  a 
hundred  thousand  pounds,  but  even  so,  he 
said,  no  competent  men  could  be  found.  The 
special  distinction  of  the  chapel  is  the  series 
of  carvings  in  the  spandrels  of  the  wall 
arcade,  illustrating  scenes  from  the  life  of  the 
Virgin.  The  numerous  tiny  figures  of  the 
Virgin  are  nearly  all  headless;  whether  they 
suffered  from  the  despoilers  of  Henry  VIII's 
time  or  from  Commonwealth  soldiers  does  not 

158 


THE    PRESBYTERY,    ELY    CATHEDRAL. 


ELY 

appear,  though  Cromwell  lived  in  Ely  at  one 
time  and  the  Cathedral  was  protected  by  his 
influence. 

Bishop  Hotham  is  credited  with  rebuilding 
the  three  bays  of  the  Xorman  choir  which 
were  demolished  by  the  falling  tower.  It  is 
interesting  to  compare  them  with  the  adjoin- 
ing Early  English  arches  and  see  how  the 
later  period  lost  much  of  the  simplicity  of  the 
earlier  time.  Prior  Crauden's  tiny  chapel, 
now  used  by  the  boys  of  the  King's  school, 
is  one  of  the  sights  of  Ely.  It  was  Prior 
Crauden,  we  are  told,  who  helped  to  raise 
money  after  the  tower  fell,  by  "pledging  his 
monks  to  surrender  their  special  doles  of 
money  and  wine  and  swxet  things  until  the 
work  should  be  accomplished!" 

No  less  than  foiu'teen  of  Ely's  bishops  were 
chancellor's  or  treasurers  of  England  before 
the  Reformation.  John  Morton,  afterwards 
archbishop,  is  the  Bishop  of  Ely  referred  to 
in  Shakespeare's  "Richard  III."  The  bishops 
of  Ely  exercised  temporal  power  in  their 
dominions  second  only  to  that  wielded  by  the 
bishops  of  Durham.  The  revenues  from  their 
estates  were  enormous.  The  fact  that  three 
such  important  works  as  the  Lady  Chapel, 

159 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Alan's  Octagon,  and  the  repairs  to  the  choir 
could  go  on  at  the  same  time  is  indicative  of  the 
financial  resources  of  the  see.  It  must  have 
been  a  heartening  sight  for  the  old  monks  to 
behold  their  bishop  leading  a  procession,  pre- 
ceded by  a  chaplain  bearing  not  only  the 
pastoral  crook  but  a  sword  of  empire  repre- 
senting his  "Royal  Franchise"!  An  Act  of 
Parliament  did  away  with  this  incongruous 
situation,  and  at  the  death  of  Bishop  Sparks 
in  1836  the  sword  was  buried  with  him. 

Carlyle  once  came  to  Ely  to  see  the  historic 
spot  where  Cromwell  had  rebuked  the  formal- 
ism of  a  high  church  clergyman.  The  Cathe- 
dral was  empty  save  for  the  organist,  and  as 
Carlyle  stood  alone  in  the  magnificent  church 
he  was  conscious  of  a  deep  sense  of  dread  of 
anything  tending  to  mere  sestheticism  in 
religion.  "I  believe,"  he  wrote,  "this  Ely 
Cathedral  is  one  of  the  finest,  as  they  call  it, 
in  all  England;  and  from  me  also  few  masses 
of  architecture  could  win  more  admiration. 
But  I  recoil  everywhere  from  treating  these 
things  as  a  dilettantism  at  all.  The  impres- 
sions they  give  me  are  too  deep  and  sad  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  the  shape  of  stones. 
To-night  as  the  heaving  bellows  blew  and  the 

160 


11 


ELY   CATHEDRAL    FROM    EAST    END. 


Vali-iitm..  ,■;  Si.r  -,  l.t.l  ,  Ih,,   I  . 

INTERIOR    OF    EARLY    ENGLISH    PORCH,    ELY. 


ELY 

yellow  sunshine  streamed  in  through  those 
high  windows,  and  my  footfalls  were  the  only 
sounds  below,  I  looked  aloft  and  my  eyes 
filled  with  tears  at  all  this,  and  I  remembered 
beside  it,  wedded  to  it  now  and  reconciled  to 
it  forever — Oliver  Cromwell's  'Cease  your 
fooling  and  come  out,  Sir.'  " 

Happily  the  tragic  years  of  England's  Civil 
Wars  have  long  since  passed,  and  in  England 
as  elsewhere  time  is  smoothing  some  of  the 
rough  edges  of  religious  intolerance.  The 
twentieth  century  people  of  the  fen  country, 
whatever  their  creed,  cherish  the  Cathedral 
which  their  ancestors  helped  to  build.  That 
mysterious  Gothic  spirit  which  cast  its  spell 
over  England  centuries  ago  and  responded  to 
the  hopes  of  the  people  is  stirring  again. 
Ely's  mighty  walls,  like  those  of  her  sister 
cathedrals,  have  echoed  many  a  time,  in  recent 
j'-ears,  to  the  music  of  great  oratorios,  a  re- 
minder of  the  long  past  days  when  miracle 
and  mystery  play  once  brought  religious 
truth  home  to  the  people.  Under  the  pressure 
of  the  growing  social  spirit  in  England  the 
nation's  cathedrals,  with  all  the  possibilities  of 
awakening  brotherhood  that  they  represent, 
will  surely  come  into  their  owti. 

161 


(1)    JTCATHE.RmE'J' 
CHAPEL 

12)    no  CHOIR  AL5LE. 

(3)  ja  CHOIBAULE 

(4)  JT.  EDMVMDy 
CHAPEL 

(5)  E-I^MOPAUIOCKJ 
CrtAPEL 

(6)  E)I5M0PWESTJ 
CBAPEL 


(9)  3lf?  CrtRI^TO- 
PiiER  WREriJ" 
DOORWAY 


PLAn  or 
ELY  CAT/1EDRAL 


162 


BRIEF    SUMMARY    FOR    THE    TRAVELER 

Cathedral  begun  in  1082.  Originally  an  abbey,  it 
BECAME  A  Cathedral  Church  in  1109.  Chiefly 
Norman,  Early  English,  and  Late  Decorated 
Periods. 

Plan:    Cruciform,  with  a  western  transept  and  de- 
tached Lady  Chapel. 

Great  Transepts  (1082-1130) 

Early  Norman.  Whole  church  built  on  a  very  large 
scale.  Notice  plain  cylindrical  columns,  work  cruder 
than  in  nave,  square-edged  arches  without  moldings, 
also  capitals  with  volutes,  along  the  walls.  Three  very 
early  Norman  windows  have  nail-head  decoration  in 
west  wall  of  south  transept  overlooking  the  cloisters.  All 
other  Norman  windows  in  the  church  have  billet  mold- 
ing. 

In  south  transept  some  remains  of  ancient  coloring, 
part  is  recent.  In  north  transept,  remains  of  an  old 
fresco  in  St.  Edmund's  Chapel. 

Exterior:  Classical  doorway  in  north  transept,  1699, 
by  Sir  Christopher  Wren. 

Nave  (1100-30) 

Late  Norman.  Very  long  and  beautiful,  tall,  rather 
slender  shafts  of  Triforium  and  Clerestory,  flat  roof. 
Triforium  lofty,  yet  does  not  dwarf  pier  arches  and 
clerestory.  Very  little  ornament,  arches  slightly  elon- 
gated. No  round  pillars.  Triforium  lighted  by  later 
Perpendicular  windows. 

163 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Ceiling,  1858.  Designed  from  a  12th  century  psal- 
ter and  a  ceiling  at  Hildesheim,  Germany.  Wall  ar- 
cade in  nave  aisles  has  chevron  molding.  Notice  very 
interesting  Prior's  door  in  south  aisle  (westward)  and 
Monks'  door  (eastward),  probably  late  work  of  the  12th 
century. 

Western  Transepts  and  Tower  (1174-89) 

Late  Norman,  in  the  lower  stages.  Transitional  in 
the  upper.  Notice  the  beauty  of  the  arcading,  round- 
headed  arches,  then  trefoiled,  then  slightly  pointed.  Oc- 
tagonal top  of  tower,  late  Decorated  or  Curvilinear. 
Middle  of   13th  century. 

Interior:  The  tall  supporting  arches  beneath  the 
tower  are  later  still  of  Perpendicular  work.  St.  Catha- 
rine's Chapel.  The  interlacing  arches  and  zigzag  mold- 
ings very  beautifuh     Notice  semicircular  apse. 

Galilee  Porch  (1200-15) 

Early  English.  Notice  the  beautiful  double  doorways, 
stone  arcaded  seats  with  canopies,  trefoiled  arches,  and 
dog-tooth  moldings,  a  fine  example  of  best  Early  Eng- 
lish work.  On  exterior  large  grouped  lancet  windows 
with  foliaged  capitals  and  deep-cut  moldings;  smaller 
arches  continue  the  effect  on  the  side. 

In  chamber  above,  possibly  a  minstrels'  gallery,  a 
modern  window,  1800,  cuts  off  the  light  from  the  great 
lancets. 

Presbytery  (1234-54) 

Early  English.  Six  eastern  bays.  Notice  sharp- 
pointed   pier   arches,   an   improvement  over   St.    Hugh's 

164 


ELY 

rather  blunt  arches  at  Lincoln.  Harmonizing  especially 
well  with  pointed  arches  and  trefoils  of  triforium  and 
lancets  of  the  clerestory.  Contrasts  of  light  and  dark 
marble  very  fine. 

Architectural  features  of  Tombs:  Curvilinear  sub- 
structure of  Etheldreda's  shrine  by  Alan.  Bishop  Al- 
cock's  chapel  Late  Perpendicular  (1486-1501).  Bishop 
West's  chapel  still  later,  its  vaulting  and  stone  work 
suggesting  the  art  of  the  Italian  Renaissance,  both  chap- 
els very  richly  adorned  and  famous  for  their  beauty  of 
detail. 

Exterior:  One  of  the  best  facades  in  England.  Fine 
grouping  of  lancets ;  later  windows  in  lower  corners  mar 
the  perfection  of  the  early  design. 

Choir  (1322-49) 

Late  Decorated  or  Curvilinear  Gothic.  Its  three  bays 
are  divided  from  the  Presbytery  by  the  great  Norman 
vaulting  shaft  of  Simeon's  old  apse  (1082).  Present 
choir  replaces  the  Norman  structure,  demolished  by  the 
fall  of  the  tower.  General  features  of  this  choir  show 
the  growing  tendency  toward  over-decoration  and  lack 
of  strength.     Notice  simpler  roof  of  the  presbytery. 

Canopies  of  choir  stalls  1337,  a  rare  example  of  work 
of  that  period.  In  upper  row  of  stalls  the  carving  of 
tlie  misereres  is  ancient  and  very  interesting. 

Lady  Chapel  (1321-49) 

Late  Decorated  or  Curvilinear  Gothic.  Wonderful 
example  of  tlie  work  of  this  period.  Roof  forty-six  feet 
wide,  said  to  be  the  widest  single-span  stone  roof  in 
England.      Notice  especially  the  carvings   in   spandrels 

165 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

of  wall  arcade,  representing  scenes   in  the   life   of  the 
Virgin. 

Great  east  and  west  Curvilinear  windows  showed 
signs  of  weakness,  and  Perpendicular  windows  were  sub- 
stituted in  late  14th  century. 

Prior  Crauden's  Chapel  1321-41) 

Late  Decorated  or  Curvilinear  Gothic.  One  of  the 
few  monastic  buildings  not  utilized  at  present  in  the 
houses   of   dean  and  canons. 

Octagon  Lantern  (1322-        ) 

Late  Decorated  or  Curvilinear  Gothic.  One  of  the 
most  wonderful  achievements  of  mediaeval  Gothic.  Sev- 
enty-seven feet  wide.  Four  open  arches.  Four  walls 
utilized  for  light  by  inserting  great  windows.  Glass 
has  no  special  distinction.  Hood  molds  of  the  arches 
beneath  carved  with  an  interesting  series  of  portrait 
heads;  northeast  wall,  Edward  III  and  Philippa;  south- 
east wall.  Bishop  Hotham  and  Prior  Crauden;  north- 
west wall,  Alan  of  Walsingham  and  possibly  his  mason. 
Southwest  wall  grotesques.  On  corbels  beneath  canopies 
of  vaulting  shafts  eight  scenes  in  the  life  of  St.  Ethel- 
dreda. 

Exterior:  Lower  Octagon  of  stone,  with  pinnacles  and 
narrow-pointed  arches,  some  of  which  are  glazed.  Fine 
contrast  with  large  windows  above  and  below.  Eight 
great  oak-trees  form  the  lantern.  Notice  double  flying 
buttresses  at  angles  of  nave  and  transept. 


166 


CHAPTER  VII 

SALISBURY 

IT  is  a  sunny  day  in  an  English  autumn. 
You  are  in  Wiltshire  climbing  the  long, 
gentle  slope  from  Amesbury  to  Stone- 
henge  in  pursuit  of  the  mysterious  stone  circle 
of  Salisbury  Plain.  Higher  and  higher  rises 
the  white  road,  till  at  the  final  crest  of  the  hill 
the  whole  wonderful  scene  stretches  out  be- 
fore you;  not  a  flat,  desolate  plain  as  you  had 
imagined,  but  a  vast  rolling  prairie,  dropping 
gently  into  a  valley,  then  rising  with  a  superb 
sweep  up  the  slopes  of  the  encircling  hills. 
The  trees  have  withdrawn  to  the  horizon. 
The  long,  tawny  grass  ripples  in  the  soft 
breeze.  As  you  follow  the  road  which 
stretches  away  like  a  white  band  down  into 
the  hollow  and  up  again,  absolute  silence 
reigns.  Not  a  living  creature  is  in  sight.  Not 
a  bird  note  is  sounded.  Just  ahead  of  you, 
silhouetted  against  the  sky,  stand  the  huge 
stones,   old  gray   monarchs   that   "have   kept 

167 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

watch  o'er  man's  mortality,"  still  holding  their 
places  erect,  preserving  their  ancient  Circle, 
though  many  of  their  comrades  have  fallen 
prostrate.  Oddly  enough,  only  a  stone's 
throw  away  a  belated  airship  has  dropped 
down  for  anchorage!  What  a  strange  juxta- 
l^osition,  the  stone  age  and  the  air  age  con- 
fronting each  other  after  unnumbered  cen- 
turies. No  wonder  the  unknown  builders  of 
the  stone  age  selected  such  a  spot  for  their 
rites  of  worship  or  of  burial,  with  the  stillness 
and  the  sense  of  infinity  all  about  them. 

"What  though  in  solemn  silence  all 
Move  round  this  dark  terrestrial  ball." 

Did  some  memory  of  the  deep  silences  of 
Stonehenge  linger  with  Addison  when  he  wrote 
those  lines?  For  some  of  his  schoolboy  days 
were  passed  in  Amesbury  and  he  must  have 
been  familiar  with  a  spot  whose  mystery 
would  appeal  to  a  sensitive  nature. 

As  you  turn  back  and  again  cross  the 
distant  hilltop,  the  tip  of  Salisbury's  Cathe- 
dral spire  suddenly  comes  into  view  peering 
over  the  far-off  horizon  like  a  watchful  moni- 
tor. For  nearly  six  centuries  the  spire,  in- 
sistently pointing  upward,  has  silently  noted 

168 


SALISBURY 

the  passing  of  events.  Armies  have  marched 
to  and  fro  over  the  neighboring  downs.  Early 
Parliaments  twice  found  their  way  to  Salis- 
bury. Royalist  and  Roundhead  alternately 
held  the  city  during  the  Civil  Wars,  and  the 
Prince  of  Orange  entered  it  triumphantly 
in  1688. 

But  at  Old  Sarum  the  Cathedral  had  a 
unique  record  of  still  greater  antiquity,  far 
antedating  that  of  its  present  building,  and 
it  is  with  due  reverence  that  you  linger  on  the 
way  back  to  Salisbury  to  explore  the  huge 
deserted  mound  once  an  ancient  citadel,  Sor- 
biodunum  of  the  Roman,  Searobyrig,  "the 
dry  city,"  of  the  Saxon,  Sarisberie  of  the 
Domesday  Survey,  and  now  merely  an  earthly 
paradise  for  the  archaeologist.  Excavations 
have  already  brought  to  light  the  apart- 
ments of  a  Norman  castle,  below  which  un- 
doubtedly lie  Roman  remains,  and  beneath 
these  probably  traces  of  previous  residents, 
for  the  site  is  a  commanding  one  and  the  im- 
mense outer  earthworks  point  to  pre-Roman 
times.  Below  the  Castle  itself  but  within  the 
deep  outer  moat  and  the  encircling  barrier  lay 
the  ancient  city  with  its  Norman  cathedral. 
The  church  still  awaits  the  spade  of  the  ex- 

169 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

cavator,  but  in  the  exceptionally  dry  summer 
of  1835  its  foundations  showed  plainly 
through  the  turf,  revealing  a  cruciform  plan 
and  an  entire  length  of  some  two  hundred  and 
seventy  feet.  In  early  Saxon  times  Old  Sa- 
rum  belonged  to  the  diocese  of  Sherborne, 
whose  first  bishop  in  705  was  Aldhelm,  after- 
ward canonized. 

Various  dividings  and  reunitings  of  the 
see  resulted  in  placing  the  seat  of  the 
bishop  at  Old  Sarum  in  1075  under  Bishop 
Herman,  a  Fleming,  who  came  over  with 
Edward  the  Confessor  and  hence  was  not 
dispossessed  by  the  Conqueror.  His  succes- 
sor, the  Norman  Osmund,  built  the  church 
whose  foundations  can  still  be  seen,  though 
five  days  after  its  consecration  in  1092  it 
was  so  damaged  by  lightning  that  considera- 
ble restoration  was  necessary  ten  years  later 
under  Bishop  Roger.  But  Osmund's  orderly 
mind  was  of  greater  service  to  his  bishopric 
than  even  his  achievements  in  cathedral  build- 
ing. Noting  the  great  variety  of  forms  in 
the  ritual  used  in  churches  in  England  and 
on  the  continent,  he  arranged  the  material  so 
admirably  that  his  "Sarum  Use"  was  widely 
adopted  by  the  English  churches.     Although 

170 


SALISBURY 

not  canonized  till  four  hundred  years  after 
his  death,  his  saintly  qualities  and  reputed 
miracles  made  his  tomb  a  favorite  shrine. 
Rather  militant  than  saintly  is  the  record  left 
by  Bishop  Roger,  though  he  restored  the 
damaged  Cathedral,  and  for  his  skillful  ad- 
ditions to  Sherborne  Minster  was  reputed  "the 
great  architectural  genius  of  the  thirteenth 
century."  As  Chancellor  of  Henry  I  his 
abilities  were  conspicuous,  but  his  numerous 
castles  excited  suspicion  and  jealousy  of  his 
power,  and  in  the  anarchy  of  Stephen's  time 
he  was  thrown  into  prison  by  the  King  and 
despoiled  of  his  fortresses.  Jocelin  de  Bohun, 
who  helped  to  frame  the  Constitutions  of 
Clarendon  and  was  therefore  excommunicated 
by  Archbishop  Becket,  adds  another  name  to 
the  stormy  annals  of  Old  Sarum's  bishops. 

With  Bishop  Richard  Poore,  1217,  we  come 
to  the  parting  of  the  ways.  The  restricted 
citadel,  secure  from  enemies  without,  had 
developed  foes  within.  A  state  of  incom- 
patibility between  the  churchly  and  the  mili- 
tary portions  of  the  community  led  to  fre- 
quent disputes,  sometimes  bordering  upon 
open  warfare.  Town  sided  with  gown  against 
the  "castle,"  and  the  dean  and  chapter  pro- 

171 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

posed  to  shake  the  dust  of  Old  Sarum  off 
their  feet.  Hence  an  effective  list  of  griev- 
ances was  sent  to  Pope  Honorius  III.  The 
church  being  within  the  line  of  defense,  the 
lives  of  the  canons  were  often  endangered. 
The  winds  blustering  about  the  elevated  spot 
prevented  the  singers  from  hearing  each  other 
and  also  induced  rheumatism.  Wind  and 
storm  kept  the  church  in  constant  need  of  re- 
pair, while  the  glare  of  the  chalky  soil  without 
trees  or  grass  had  caused  many  to  lose  their 
sight.  Water  was  scarce  and  the  price  of  it 
prohibitive,  and  finally  the  clergy  had  to  rent 
houses  from  the  soldiers,  or  if  they  lived  out- 
side were  liable  to  be  excluded  on  important 
occasions  on  the  ground  that  the  defenses 
would  be  endangered! 

With  the  "translation"  of  the  Cathedral,  the 
glory  of  Old  Sarum  departed.  The  people 
followed  the  church.  The  castle  became  use- 
less after  the  invention  of  artillery,  and  in 
1535  a  visitor  wrote  of  it:  "This  thing  hath 
been  ancient  and  exceeding  strong,  but  syns 
the  building  of  New  Saresbyri  it  went  totally 
to  mine."  Yet  the  ghost  of  Old  Sarum  was 
not  so  easily  laid.  For  three  hundred  years 
more  it  was  "represented"  by  two  seats  in 

172 


SALISBURY 

Parliament,  till  it  was  finally  exorcised  by  the 
Reform  Bill  of  1832. 

The  site  of  the  new  Cathedral,  dedicated  to 
St.  Mary,  was  determined,  some  say,  by  a 
vision  of  the  Virgin  which  appeared  to  Bishop 
Poore.  Others  credit  it  to  an  arrow  shot  from 
the  walls  of  Old  Sarum,  but  whatever  the  in- 
spiration, the  actual  ground  was  furnished 
by  the  bishop  himself.  No  complaints  of  a 
"dry  city"  ever  arose  from  New  Salisbury. 
Tradition  acknowledges  that  the  site  of  the 
Cathedral  was  in  early  days  little  better  than 
a  swamp,  and  the  daily  service  was  actually 
interrupted  at  one  time  by  the  water  in  the 
building.  Bishop  Douglas  in  1791,  evidently 
disturbed  by  the  moisture  of  his  new  abode, 
remarked  with  some  feeling,  "Salisbury  is 
the  sink  of  Wiltshire  Plain,  the  Close  is  the 
sink  of  Salisbury,  and  the  Bishop's  Palace  the 
sink  of  the  Close."  Running  brooks  in  the 
streets  of  the  town  suggested  comparisons 
with  Venice,  but  in  modern  times  they  have 
been  trained  into  suitable  channels. 

Still  in  quest  of  the  Cathedral,  you  enter 
the  Close  at  Salisbury  through  one  of  its  three 
medieval  gateways.  Amid  the  stones  of  the 
wall  you  easily  distinguish  fragments  of  Nor- 

173 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

man  decoration,  for  by  royal  consent  Old 
Saruni  was  despoiled  to  help  build  the  walls 
and  gates  of  this  "New  Jerusalem."  The 
freedom  and  quiet  which  Bishop  Poore  and 
his  harried  flock  sought  for,  they  found  at 
last,  for  Salisbury  in  the  charm  and  beauty  of 
its  surroundings  is  unrivaled  among  English 
cathedrals.  A  few  steps  from  the  gateway 
and  you  are  looking  across  an  immense  lawn 
toward  the  lovely  Cathedral,  perpetually 
youthful,  which  with  its  soaring  spire  stands 
out  gloriously  in  the  clear  September  sun- 
shine. Around  the  far-off  borders  of  the 
green,  dignified  old  elms  have  ranged  them- 
selves at  a  respectful  distance,  while  a  few 
of  their  giant  comrades  and  a  cedar  or  two 
have  ventured  across  the  broad  lawn,  their 
long  shadows  serving  to  emphasize  the  im- 
pression of  space  and  repose.  Behind  the 
Cathedral,  in  its  sunny  southern  exposure,  are 
the  beautiful  cloisters,  never  however  the 
abode  of  monks,  for  Salisbury  was  a  church 
of  the  Old  Foundation  and  always  served  by 
secular  clergy.,  Adjoining  the  cloisters  is  the 
Chapter  house,  and  just  beyond,  the  Bishop's 
palace,  a  fairyland  secluded  behind  a  high 
stone  wall.    Nor  is  the  green  itself  without  its 

174 


SALISBURY 

appropriate  setting.  Back  of  its  guardian 
elms,  enchanting  old  houses  dwell  in  em- 
bowered gardens.  A  scarlet  Virginia  creeper 
climbs  riotously  over  a  Queen  Anne  roof  to 
the  chimney  tops,  or  festoons  itself  decorously 
along  the  front  of  a  stately  Georgian  house, 
w^hile  dark  English  ivy  gives  an  added  flavor 
of  age  to  surviving  Medieval  or  Tudor  build- 
ings. Behind  them  all  runs  the  sparkling 
Avon,  its  clear  waters  at  many  points  reflect- 
ing the  Cathedral's  spire. 

Especially  appropriate  to  Salisbury  Cathe- 
dral is  this  peculiarly  English  environment, 
for,  built  in  all  essentials  in  one  period,  it 
stands  alone  among  English  cathedrals  for 
unity  of  design,  expressing  the  Gothic  spirit 
as  it  was  first  making  its  way  in  England. 
Nor  was  it  reared  on  any  previous  structure, 
but,  free  from  the  restrictions  of  earlier 
foundations,  grew  from  virgin  soil  in  its  own 
characteristic  way.  Your  eye  follows  with  de- 
light the  graceful  lines  of  chapel  and  aisle  and 
transept  as  they  rise  one  above  the  other,  till 
their  growing  sense  of  aspiration  is  completed 
in  the  marvelous  spire  four  hundred  feet  in 
height  which  gathers  all  the  lines  into  itself 
and  transmits  them  skyward. 

175 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Very  exact  and  self-restrained  were  these 
early  Gothic  builders.  Their  symmetrical 
cutting  and  placing  of  the  stones  is  the  won- 
der of  architects.  They  were  sparing  of  deco- 
ration also,  apparently  relying  upon  the  con- 
trast between  their  deep-cut  horizontal  mold- 
ings and  the  upward  reach  of  the  beautiful 
lancet  windows  skillfully  grouped  in  threes 
and  fives  on  each  bold  front  or  towering 
gable.  Any  possible  severity  of  effect  in  the 
simple  lines  of  this  exterior  was  finally  dis- 
pelled by  the  treatment  of  the  cornice,  em- 
bellished with  a  row  of  trefoiled  arches  with 
corbels  beneath  them,  extending  around  the 
entire  building.  This  cornice,  with  the  hori- 
zontal moldings,  outer  buttresses  and  the  con- 
tinuous horizontal  lines  of  the  basement  string 
course,  seems  to  temper  the  building's  vertical 
propensities  and  gives  a  sense  of  restfulness 
and  unity  to  this  wondSrfid  church,  which  is 
one  of  the  most  graceful  expressions  of  har- 
monious grouping  to  be  found  in  any  country. 

The  north  side  of  the  Cathedral  is  the  finest 
place  in  England  to  study  the  evolution  of  the 
lancet  window.  As  you  stand  on  the  broad 
lawn,  you  have  the  whole  panorama  spread 
out  before  you.    In  the  lowest  tier  of  the  main 

176 


F.  G.  O.  Stuart,  SouthaiiiptuQ. 

CLOISTERS,    SALISBURY   CATHEDRAL. 


LADY   CHAPEL,    SALISBURY    CATHEDRAL. 


SALISBURY 

transept  are  three  single  lancets  separated  by 
buttresses;  the  aisles  of  the  choir  and  nave 
show  two  windows  of  uniform  height  between 
each  buttress;  at  the  end  of  the  eastern 
transept  in  the  lower  tier,  the  number  has 
been  increased  to  three,  still  of  uniform  height. 
But  an  important  change  comes  in  the  clere- 
story, for  the  middle  window  of  the  three  is 
taller  than  the  rest,  thus  emphasizing  the  idea 
of  a  group;  these  triple  windows  are  con- 
tinued around  the  transepts,  but  in  the  end 
wall  of  each  transept  you  notice  new  combina- 
tions. On  the  great  transept  are  six  windows 
in  groups  of  two  each,  the  outer  two  being 
blind  windows  and  above  each  group  a  circle. 
The  final  stage  is  shown  in  the  triforium  row 
just  beneath,  where  six  windows  are  also  in 
groups  of  two  but  separated  by  buttresses, 
each  group  having  a  quatrefoil  just  above  and 
the  combination  thus  formed  inclosed  within 
the  arch  of  a  dripstone,  giving  us  the  first 
form  of  the  future  Geometrical  window.  At 
each  projecting  corner  rises  an  airy  pinnacle, 
seeming  to  suggest  the  higher  service  of  the 
great  spire-  One  can  scarcely  imagine  the 
Cathedral  without  its  spire,  which  is  surely, 
as  we  see  it  before  us,  a  logical  necessity.    Yet 

177 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

it  seems  certain  that  the  original  architect  did 
not  contemplate  it,  nor  is  the  exact  date  of  its 
erection  known ;  ^  though  probably  in  the  ^ 
early  fourteenth  century.  It  is  evident,  how- 
ever, from  the  extensive  buttressing  on  the  in- 
side of  the  Cathedral  that  before  the  spire  was 
built  the  tower  showed  signs  of  weakening. 
Yet  an  artistic  genius  arose,  more  artist  per- 
haps than  engineer,  who  saw  his  opportunity 
and  dared  even  then  to  give  to  the  Cathedral 
its  final  touch  of  distinction.  To-day  the  spire 
is  twenty-three  inches  out  of  the  perpen- 
dicular, but  the  settlement  took  place  soon 
after  its  erection.  It  has  been  strengthened 
by  iron  bands  in  late  years,  and  recent  tests 
reveal  no  further  indication  of  weakness. 
Though  its  architecture  shows  the  influence  of 
a  slightly  later  period,  the  architects  so  skill- 
fully adapted  his  design  that  it  harmoniously 
completes  the  earlier  beginnings.  You  notice 
especially  how  the  clustering  pinnacles  pro- 
duce such  an  impression  of  continuity  between 


^  In  1762,  when  a  new  copper  vane  was  added,  a  wooden  box 
was  discovered.  Within  this  was  a  round  leaden  box,  514  by 
214  inches,  containing  a  piece  of  fabric  supposed  to  be  a  relic  of 
the  Virgin,  placed  there  to  protect  the  tower  from  lightning. 
It  was  replaced  in  its  original  position. 

178 


SALISBURY 

tower  and  spire  that  one  naturally  grows  out 
of  the  other,  a  supreme  artistic  achievement. 

The  west  front  has  been  severely  criticised. 
A  great  work  of  art  must  be  true  throughout, 
and  Salisbury's  Avest  front  is  in  a  measure  a 
screen  not  closely  related  to  the  building  be- 
hind it.  Compare  this  front  with  the  Early 
English  east  end  of  Ely.  Even  in  its  muti- 
lated state,  for  you  remember  that  its  lower 
corners  were  altered  at  a  later  time,  you  feel 
its  strength  and  beauty.  Notice  how  the 
divisions  of  clerestory,  triforium,  and  aisle  are 
carried  over  into  the  plan  of  the  facade,  giv- 
ing a  sense  of  completeness  to  the  whole 
structure.  Here  in  Salisbury  the  connection 
is  almost  entirely  lost.  Nevertheless,  you  may 
enjoy  the  beauty  of  many  of  the  details  while 
you  study  the  proportions  of  doors  and  win- 
dows and  consider  whether  their  relation  to 
each  other  and  to  the  whole  gives  the  best 
possible  effect,  and  educate  your  taste  by 
comparisons  with  other  churches  as  your 
artistic  experience  widens. 

But  we  must  not  forget  what  this  west  front 
meant  to  the  people  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
who  lavished  their  gifts  upon  the  Cathedral 
and  found  it  in  those  troubled  times  not  only 

179 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

a  refuge  and  strength  but  a  great  religious 
teacher.  In  an  age  when  there  were  no 
books,  when  Chaucer  and  WicHf  were  yet 
unborn  and  the  printing  press  was  two  hun- 
dred years  distant,  the  church  wisely  used  the 
best  possible  means  for  perpetuating  the  in- 
fluence of  the  heroes  of  the  faith.  We  can 
imaffine  one  of  those  far-distant  Sabbaths 
when  the  people,  pouring  out  of  the  Cathedral, 
which  still  echoed  to  the  strains  of  the  Te 
Deum,  would  linger  to  look  up  at  the  glori- 
ous company  of  the  Apostles,  the  goodly  fel- 
lowship of  the  Prophets,  and  the  noble  army 
of  Martyrs  carved  in  stone. 

But  we  must  leave  this  much  discussed 
front,  on  which  the  frequent  use  of  the  ball 
flower  ornament  indicates  the  coming  Deco- 
rated stage  of  English  Gothic,  and  enter  the 
Cathedral  by  the  north  door,  whose  beautiful 
entrance  porch  merits  attention.  Sharp  con- 
trasts greet  you  in  Salisbury's  nave.  The  lack 
of  stained  glass  windows  emphasizes  the 
pallor  of  the  stone,  which  is  further  heightened 
by  the  profusion  of  very  dark  highly  polished 
Purbeck  marble  shafts,  giving  to  the  church 
as  a  whole  a  black  and  white  effect.  Yet  as 
you  walk  slowly  down  to  the  historic  east  end, 

180 


SALISBURY 

you  find  yourself  gradual!}^  being  won  by  the 
simple  dignity  of  the  building  and  the  har- 
mony of  all  its  parts.  At  the  extreme  east, 
beneath  the  Lady  Chapel,  Bishop  Poore  in 
1220  laid  the  first  five  stones  of  the  founda- 
tion "amidst  the  acclamations  of  multitudes 
of  the  j)eoj)le  weeping  for  joy  and  contribut- 
ing thereto  their  alms  with  a  ready  mind."  ^ 
Bishop  Poore's  successors  finished  the  build- 
ing, for  he  was  translated  to  Durham  and  died 
before  Salisbury  was  completed.  In  1258 
the  Cathedral  was  consecrated,  Henry  III 
and  his  Queen  being  in  attendance.  Con- 
secration crosses  of  beautiful  design  may  still 
be  seen  on  the  outside  of  the  building.  The 
King  was  at  this  time  rebuilding  the  eastern 
end  of  Westminster  Abbey  in  the  new  Early 
English  style,  and  it  would  be  interesting  to 
know  if  in  any  way  the  two  buildings  in- 
fluenced each  other.  Westminster  is  richer 
in  its  carving  than  Salisbury;  the  plate 
tracery  of  Salisbury  has  become  bar  tracery 
at   Westminster,   which   is   much  higher   also 

^  Of  the  five  stones  the  first  was  for  Pope  Honorius,  then 
for  Stephen  Langton,  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  next  for 
Bishop  Poore,  and  the  remaining  two  for  William  I.ongspee, 
Earl  of  Salisbury,  son  of  Henry  II  and  Fair  Rosamond,  and 
for  Ella  his  wife. 

181 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

and  narrower,  its  darker  stone  work  giving 
it  a  touch  of  mystery.  Salisbury  is  frank  and 
open,  its  form,  that  of  a  double  cross,  easily 
perceived.  Its  square  east  end  is  distinctly 
English  and  quite  unlike  Westminster  and 
Canterbury,  both  of  which  felt  the  French 
influence.  The  very  delicate  shafts  support- 
ing the  roof  of  the  Lady  Chapel  are  a  notice- 
able feature,  and  close  by,  the  plain  tomb  of 
Osmund  is  a  relic  of  pre-Reformation  days 
and  the  once  glorious  shrine  of  Salisbury's 
most  venerated  saint. 

As  you  stand  in  the  center  of  the  choir,  you 
see  how  the  security  of  the  spire  has  been 
achieved.  Behind  the  triforium  arches,  at 
all  four  angles  of  the  tower,  are  flying  but- 
tresses of  stone,  and  directly  above  you  where 
the  eastern  transept  crosses  the  choir  you 
see  the  immense  inverted  arches  put  in  after 
the  buttresses  to  resist  the  strain  on  the 
transej)t.  Just  below  the  choir,  where  the 
greater  transept  crosses,  are  two  more  braces, 
put  in  a  hundred  years  later,  their  paneling 
characteristic  of  the  Perpendicular  period  and 
recalling  those  at  Canterbury.  The  elaborate 
carving  of  the  great  central  arches  beneath 
the  tower  seems  out  of  keeping,  but  you  find 

182 


SALISBURY 

it  was  an  innovation  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
Another  interesting  point  to  be  observed  is 
the  way  in  which  SaHsbury's  Early  English 
architect  arranged  the  vaulting  shafts  of  his 
roof.  You  remember  that  in  St.  Hugh's 
Early  English  choir  at  Lincoln  the  main 
shafts  ran  to  the  ground.  In  the  nave  they 
rested  on  brackets  just  above  the  capitals  of 
the  great  arches.  Here  at  Salisbury  the 
brackets  are  up  in  the  triforium,  between  the 
arches.  The  effect  is  to  make  the  triforium 
more  prominent  and  to  bring  out  the  hori- 
zontal lines  of  the  nave.  Stand  at  the  end  and 
notice  the  raised  block  under  the  columns,  a 
long  row  of  plain  clear-cut  capitals  of  the 
great  arches,  the  dark  columns  of  the  triforium 
and  the  corbels  under  the  vaulting  shafts. 
Then  recall  by  contrast  Canterbury's  nave,  re- 
built in  the  Perpendicular  period,  where  all  the 
lines  seemed  vertical,  and  you  appreciate  anew 
one  of  the  differences  between  Early  English 
in  its  varied  forms  and  England's  later  Per- 
pendicular Gothic. 

The  Civil  Wars  touched  Salisbury  but 
lightly.  Some  secret  influence  was  exerted 
in  its  favor.  Though  the  bishop's  palace  was 
sold   and   divided   into   tenements,    workmen 

183 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

were  engaged  to  keep  the  Cathedral  in  repair; 
and  when  one  of  the  Puritan  officers  sent  up 
to  Parliament  some  of  the  church  plate,  he  was 
ordered  to  restore  it.  The  Reformation  laid  its 
hand  on  shrines  and  images,  but  the  Cathe- 
dral's greatest  humiliation  came  at  the  hands 
of  a  "restorer"  in  the  decadent  days  of  the 
late  eighteenth  century,  an  architect  Wyatt, 
known  as  "the  destroyer."  Much  of  the  old 
stained  glass  was  cast  out  under  his  adminis- 
tration, but  you  can  still  see  an  interesting 
window  of  grisaille  glass  with  geometric  pat- 
terns in  the  southeastern  transept  and  some 
fragments  set  into  the  great  window  of  the 
nave,  which  were  rescued  fifty  years  ago. 
Wyatt  also  removed  the  old  tombs  from  their 
historic  places  at  the  east  end  and  arranged 
them  in  "orderly"  fashion  on  the  plinth  which 
runs  beneath  the  columns  of  the  nave, — a  strik- 
ing architectural  feature,  by  the  way,  due 
probably  to  the  need  of  making  the  founda- 
tions more  stable.  As  a  final  indignity  to  the 
outraged  building  he  "cleaned"  the  ceiling, 
thereby  obliterating  the  ancient  decorations. 
In  modern  times  sympathetic  attempts  at 
restorations  of  the  old  designs  have  given 
Salisbury  a  touch  of  color  once  hiore,  but  the 

184< 


SALISBURY 

mellow  flavor  of  the  past  is  hopelessly  and 
forever  lost. 

Wyatt's  changes  have  left  in  the  western 
part  of  the  nave  the  tombs  of  the  Old  Sarum 
bishops.  Their  exact  identification  is  uncer- 
tain, but  their  antiquity  unquestioned.  They 
are  interesting  examples  of  a  very  early  class 
of  old  English  tombs.  The  unique  tomb  of 
the  Boy  Bishop  in  the  nave  recalls  a  curious 
old  custom,  when  from  St.  Nicholas'  Day  to 
Innocents'  Day  a  choir  boy  was  elected  as 
bishop,  a  special  service  and  procession  taking 
place. 

Americans  will  linger  before  the  tablet  on 
the  north  wall  of  the  nave,  with  its  beautiful 
design  and  inscription  commemorating  those 
who  suffered  through  the  tragic  railroad  ac- 
cident at  Salisbury  in  1906: 

This  tablet  was  erected  by  citizens  of  Salisbury 
as  a  pledge  of  brotherly  sympathy  with  mourners  in 
England  and  America  and  Canada,  in  memory  of 
those  who  lost  their  lives  through  an  accident  on  the 
railway  within  tliis  city  in  the  early  morning  of  Sun- 
day, July  1,  1906,  and  whose  names  are  here 
recorded.  .  .  .  "In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in 
death."  "Of  whom  may  we  seek  for  succour  but  of 
Thee,  O  Lord." 

185 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Beneath  the  floor  of  the  Choir  are  the  tombs 
of  the  Earls  of  Pembroke,  and  here  was  laid 
to  rest  the  beautiful  Countess  of  Pembroke 
whose  death  called  forth  Ben  Jonson's  famous 
lament ; 

"Sydney's  Sister,  Pembroke's  Mother 
Death,  ere  thou  hast  killed  another 
Faire,  and  learn'd  and  good  as  she, 
Tyme  shall  throw  a  dart  at  thee." 

Salisbury's  cloisters  and  chapter  house  in 
their  lovely  green  setting  are  exceptionally 
beautiful.  The  windows  show  at  once  that 
they  are  later  than  the  Cathedral  Early  or 
Geometrical  Decorated.  In  the  restoration  of 
the  chapter  house,  pennies  of  Edward  I's  reign 
were  discovered.  Gothic  ideas  had  developed 
when  it  was  built,  but  the  English  architect  of 
the  Cathedral  was  slow  to  relinquish  his  fond- 
ness for  heavy  walls  and  we  find  only  a  few  fly- 
ing buttresses  on  the  Cathedral,  while  the  walls 
of  the  clerestory  are  nearly  eight  feet  thick 
at  the  top.  The  numerous  pinnacles  are  in 
the  nature  of  heavy  weights  to  steady  the 
stout  buttresses  between  the  windows,  but  the 
idea  of  windows  representing  walls  of  glass 
had  not  yet  taken  hold.  Here  in  the  chapter 
house  3^ou  see  a  change.  The  central  pillar 
within  and  the  wall  buttresses  without  sup- 

186 


F.  Frith  &  Co  ,  Rejgate 

SALISBURY    CATHEDRAL    FROM    THE    MEADOWS. 


BISHOPS    PALACE,    SALISBURY. 


SALISBURY 

port  a  framework  which  makes  possible  large 
windows  and  plenty  of  light.  With  the  glaz- 
ing of  these  large  windows  plate  tracery  was 
no  longer  practicable,  and  we  have  bar  tracery 
in  its  various  lovely  forms.  The  most  notable 
feature  of  the  chapter  house  is  its  remarkable 
series  of  carvings  over  the  wall  arcade. 

Since  Henry  VIII's  time,  the  Pembroke 
estate,  Wilton  House,  has  been  a  favorite 
resort  of  royaltj^  Through  the  carefullj^ 
trimmed  trees  of  its  park  there  is  always 
visible  a  glimpse  of  Salisbury's  spire  three 
miles  distant.  Nor  must  you  leave  the  Cathe- 
dral without  a  view  from  the  lovely  meadows, 
where  Constable  painted  it  again  and  again. 
In  one  immortal  picture  a  rainbow  is  seen 
just  above  the  spire.  Scarcely  a  mile  away,  at 
Bemerton,  are  the  church  and  rectory  where 
George  Herbert  spent  the  last  years  of  his 
short  life.  Frequently  visiting  the  Cathedral, 
his  favorite  walk  must  have  been  along  the 
winding  waterways.  Perhaps  some  vision  of 
spire  and  fleecy  cloud  reflected  side  by  side 
in  the  quiet  river  may  have  been  the  happy 
inspiration  of  his  poem, 

"Sweet  day  so  eool,  so  calm,  so  bright, 
The  bridal  of  the  earth  and  sky." 

187 


1  sne.  or 

HOMCERrORD 
CHAPEL  — 


"f^ 


W£JT  WORJ 


PLA/1    or 
JAU5DWRY  CATHLDI^AL 


188 


BRIEF    SUMMARY    FOR    THE    TRAVELER 

Cathedral  begun  in  1220.    The  first  great  church 

WHOLLY  IN  the  EaRLY  EnGLISH  STYLE,  BUILT  PRAC- 
TICALLY COMPLETE  IN  FORTY  YEARS  AND  ON  A  VIRGIN 
SITE. 

Plan:  A  double  cross  with  square  east  end  project- 
ing to  form  the  Lady  Chapel. 

Lady  Chapel  (1220) 

Early  English.  Earliest  portion  of  church  forms  the 
square  projecting  east  end;  has  a  central  and  two  side 
aisles.  The  beautiful  Beauchamp  and  Hunger  ford 
chapels,  Perpendicular  in  style,  built  in  15th  century, 
stood  on  each  side  of  it  till  destroyed  by  Wyatt.  Cano- 
pies of  niches  beneath  north  and  south  windows  came 
from  the  destroyed  Beauchamp  chapel.  St.  Osmund's 
tomb,  on  the  right,  is  all  that  remains  of  his  shrine, 
plundered  at  the  Reformation.  Very  delicate  Purbeck 
marble  columns  and  plain  molded  capitals.  Very  beau- 
tiful altar  triptych  and  reredos  modern — except  the 
altar  itself. 

Choir  (1220-58) 

Early  English.  Eight  Purbeck  shafts  to  each  pier. 
Dog-tooth  ornament  in  pier  arches.  Triforium  and 
clerestory  slightly  different  from  nave.  Five  beautiful 
arches  in  Triforium  at  east  end,  contrasting  with  the 
three  sharply  pointed  arches  just  below  opening  into 
the    retrochoir    and    Lady    Chapel.       Ceiling    paintings 

189 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

restorations  of  the  original,  which  probably  dated  from 
13th  century.  Notice  carved  Purbeck  capitals  at  the 
climax  of   ceiling  paintings — all   others   plain. 

Bishop  Audley's  Chantry  a  fine  example  of  Perpen- 
dicular work.  Opposite  is  Chantry  of  Lord  Hungerford, 
now  used  as  a  family  pew,  with  ironwork  of  the  year 
1129  to  be  compared  with  Edward  IV  Chantry  at 
Windsor,  1483,  and  Henry  VII  at  Westminster,  1509. 
Choir  stalls  many  periods,  a  little  of  the  original  work. 

In  east  transept,  on  the  wall  of  the  Morning  Chapel, 
part  of  beautiful  Early  English  screen,  probably  the 
early  choir  screen  removed  by  Wyatt.  Curious  brass 
of  Bishop  Wyville  in  this  chapel.  Inverted  buttressing 
arches  of  the  choir  put  in  later.  They  are  of  the  Deco- 
rated period.     See  natural  oak  leaves  in  capitals. 

Monument  of  Bishop  Bridport  in  south  choir  aisle 
dates  from  1262.  Reliefs  on  it  remarkable  for  their  ex- 
cellence. One  original  Early  English  window  in  south- 
eastern transept  of  grisaille  glass. 

Transepts  (1220-58) 

Early  English.  Triforium  and  clerestory  of  nave 
carried  round  the  transepts.  On  end  wall  replaced  by 
two-light  windows.  Screen  with  dark  shafts  in  front  of 
windows.  Braces,  Perpendicular  in  style,  1450-81,  be- 
tween tower  piers  across  transepts.  Carving  of  great 
arches  of  the  crossing  done  in  15th  century. 

Nave  (1220-58) 

Early  English.  Main  arches  pointed.  Piers,  stone 
columns  with  four  Purbeck  marble  shafts.  Capitals 
molded,    but    without    carving.       Triforium    has    double 

190 


SALISBURY 

arches,  resting  on  dark  marble  shafts,  with  plate  tracery 
above;  a  characteristic  of  very  Early  English,  like  St. 
Hugh's  triforium.  The  double  arches  are  surrounded 
by  a  heavy  flattened  containing  arch.  The  effect  less 
beautiful  than  at  Lincoln  or  Westminster. 

Roof  with  bosses,  but  no  longitudinal  rib.  Vaulting 
shafts  rest  on  brackets  between  triforium  arches.  Hori- 
zontal lines  of  nave  emphasized.  Nave  84  feet,  exceeded 
in  height  only  by  Westminster,  York,  and  Ripon. 

Tombs  of  Bishops  of  Sarum  on  north  side  westward 
among  the  earliest  examples  of  their  class  in  England. 
Boy  Bishop's  tomb  unique.  William  of  Longspee  in 
chain  mail.  Two  lancet  windows  in  each  bay  of  aisle. 
Triple  lancets  in  clerestory.  Fragments  of  old  glass  in 
great  west  ^vindow  and  at  end  of  aisles. 

North  porch  lined  with  a  beautiful  double  arcade. 
An  upper  story,  possibly  a  Galilee,  for  penitents. 

West  Front  (1220-58) 

Early  English.  Notice  interesting  triple  doorway, 
rather  small  and  characteristically  English.  General 
effect  of  the  whole  front  not  altogether  successful.  Its 
rows  of  statues  represent  the  four  orders  of  beings  men- 
tioned in  the  Te  Deum  Laudamus,  beginning  at  the  top 
with  angels,  then  patriarchs  end  prophets,  then  mar- 
tyrs, etc.,  and  churchmen.  All  but  eight  are  modern. 
.  The  use  of  the  ball  flower  ornament  shows  the  coming 
change  to  the  Decorated  style. 

Tower  and  Spire  (1220-58  and  early  14th  century) 

Early  English  for  eight  feet  above  the  roof.  The 
flying  buttresses  on  four  sides  under  triforium  roof  put 

191 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

in  soon  after  the  church  was  finished.  Two  additional 
stories  and  spire  in  early  14th  century.  Early  Deco- 
rated Gothic.     Height,  404  feet. 

Chapter  House  and  Cloisters  (early  14th  century) 

Early  Decorated  Gothic.  A  little  later  than  Cloisters. 
Octagonal,  with  central  pillar.  A  canopied  arcade  above, 
which  is  a  series  of  carvings  representing  early  Old 
Testament  history.  Much  restored,  but  still  of  great 
value  and  interest.  Especially  important  are  the  carv- 
ings on  outside  of  doorway.  The  cloisters  wei*e  never  the 
abode  of  monks. 


Salisbury's  old  rhyme  perpetuates  a  popular  legend; 

"As  many  days  as  in  one  year  there  be, 
So  many  windows  in  this  church  we  see; 
As  many  marble  pillars  here  appear 
As  there  are  hours  throughout  the  fleeting  year; 
As  many  gates  as  moons  one  year  does  view — 
Strange  tale  to  tell !     Yet  not  more  strange  than  true." 


192 


.     CHAPTER  VIII 

LICHFIELD 

IN  Lichfield  you  are  in  the  heart  of 
England,  once  the  ancient  Saxon  king- 
dom of  Mercia.  Mercia  in  the  seventh 
century  stood  for  paganism.  In  the  Saxon 
kingdoms  to  the  north  and  south,  Christian- 
ity was  slowly  making  headway,  but  Mercia, 
under  its  mighty  King  Penda,  held  out  stub- 
bornly. It  was  the  "march"  or  border  against 
the  unconquered  Briton  of  Wales  and  the  last 
stronghold  of  the  old  gods. 

Far  to  the  northwest  on  the  rocky  coast  of 
Scotland  an  Irish  monk,  Columba,  had 
founded  the  island  monastery  of  lona,  and 
hither  young  Oswald  of  Northumbria  had 
fled  for  refuge  in  the  uncertain  state  of  the 
Northumbrian  kingdom.  Later,  when  King, 
Oswald  sent  for  missionaries  from  lona  to 
establish  a  monastery  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
his  dominions,  and  at  Lindisfarne  or  Holy 
Island  this  new  center  soon   shed   its   light 

193 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

throughout  the  dark  land.  With  Aidan,  its 
first  bishop,  Oswald  himself  as  interpreter  fre- 
quently made  long  journeys  among  his  peo- 
ple. But  in  an  attempt  to  save  his  neighbors 
of  East  Anglia  from  the  yoke  of'Penda  he 
was  slain,  and  Mercia  gleefully  harried  the 
stricken  Northumbrians.  "See,  Lord,  what  ill 
Penda  is  doing,"  was  the  pathetic  prayer  of 
Aidan. 

However,  while  monk  and  missionary  la- 
bored on,  the  mills  of  God  were  slowly 
grinding.  Penda's  son,  ruling  the  Middle 
English,  at  length  became  a  convert  and 
brought  teachers  from  Lindisfarne  to  instruct 
his  people.  Bitterly  the  aged  Penda  watched 
the  course  of  events,  noting  with  scorn  the 
human  imperfections  of  the  disciples  of  the 
Cross.  He  had  slain  and  mutilated  Oswald, 
and  as  he  saw  Northumbria  under  Christian 
Oswi  becoming  strong  and  reunited,  the  old 
chieftain  rallied  his  hosts  for  a  death  blow  at 
this  latest  rival.  In  655,  at  Winwoed  near 
Leeds,  the  new  faith  and  the  old  grappled  at 
last.  The  Mercians  fled.  A  storm-swollen 
river  hastened  the  work  of  destruction,  and 
with  the  death  of  Penda  came  the  twilight  of 
the  gods.  ^.!.^L.u 

194 


LICHFIELD 

Within  twenty  years  of  the  great  battle 
churches  had  sprung  up  all  over  ^lercia,  and 
the  life  and  work  of  St.  Chad  had  left  their 
mark  upon  England  for  all  time.  These  were 
momentous  years  for  the  English  church. 
Should  the  Celtic  form  of  Christianity  in- 
troduced by  Columba  and  his  monks  prevail, 
or  that  which  entered  through  Augustine 
under  the  church  of  Rome?  The  Council  of 
Whitby  led  by  King  Oswi  decided  in  favor 
of  Rome;  and  under  Theodore  of  Tarsus,  a 
Greek  monk  who  became  archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury, the  Saxon  churches,  grouped  in  their 
often  warring  kingdoms,  were  united  under 
a  common  head.  At  this  time  Mercia  was 
without  a  bishop,  and  Theodore,  observing 
that  a  certain  Lindisfarne  monk,  Ceadda, 
temporarily  exalted  to  the  bishopric  of  York, 
had  also  accepted  his  retirement  to  humbler 
work  with  equal  serenity,  assigned  to  him  the 
important  post  of  bishop  for  Mercia. 

Ceadda  or  St.  Chad  was  the  first  to  fix  the 
seat  of  the  bishopric  at  Lichfield,  where  his 
modest  hut  stood  close  to  the  banks  of  Stowe 
pool.  To-day  an  ancient  stone  church  called 
St.  Chad's  stands  hard  by,  but  the  little 
wooden    church   of    St.    ^lary,   built    by    St. 

195 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Chad  himself,  tradition  places  nearer  the  site 
of  the  present  Cathedral.  In  his  humble 
habitation,  with  seven  colleagues,  St.  Chad 
fasted  and  prayed  and  carried  on  his  labo- 
rious work.  No  dreams  of  a  great  cathedral, 
still  less  of  a  bishop's  palace,  we  may  believe, 
ever  flitted  before  him.  He  had  a  huge  dio- 
cese, stretching  across  England,  and  long  jour- 
neys on  foot  were  his  portion  as  he  shepherded 
his  scattered  flock.  A  Celtic  poet  sings  of  his 
last  hours,  when  angelic  voices  filled  his  little 
cell  and  he  waited  for  the  death  messenger, 
the  "lovable  guest,"  to  come  for  him.  Less 
than  three  years  closed  his  work,  but  the  re- 
membrance of  his  devoted  life  brought  great 
numbers  of  pilgrims  to  his  shrine  and  all 
through  Middle  England  churches  were  built 
to  his  memory. 

Another  twenty  years  passed.  Then  Bishop 
Hedda  is  said  to  have  built  a  stone  church 
where  the  Cathedral  now  stands  and  to  have 
dedicated  it  to  St.  Peter.  Tradition  also 
holds  that  St.  Chad's  bones  were  brought 
from  their  resting  place  near  his  cell  and 
deposited  here,  but  as  to  what  buildings 
actually  arose  on  this  particular  spot,  up  to 
the  time  of  the  Normans,  nothing  is  really 

196 


LICHFIELD 

known.  Lichfield's  early  annals  are  more 
than  usually  misty.  Yet  Mercia's  fighting 
spirit  left  its  characteristic  mark  on  these 
early  days  of  her  church  history,  for  a  hun- 
dred years  after  the  overthrow  of  Penda,  an- 
other great  ruler,  Off  a,  came  into  power  for 
nearly  half  a  century.  Under  him  Mercia 
again  stood  at  the  head  of  the  English  king- 
doms. But  Charlemagne  from  his  Frankish 
dominions  over  the  sea  was  watching  this  new 
power  on  his  northern  horizon.  Enemies  of 
INIercia  were  welcomed  at  his  court,  and  the 
weaker  English  kingdoms  appealed  to  him 
for  support.  Kent  once  and  again  revolted 
from  Offa,  and  when  the  Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury was  discovered  plotting  for  Frankish 
aid,  Offa  humbled  him  by  securing  from  the 
Pope  the  right  to  create  an  Archbishop  of 
Lichfield  independent  of  Canterbury.  For 
eighteen  years  Lichfield's  archbishops  wielded 
a  widespread  authority,  but  with  the  death  of 
Offa  Canterbury  regained  her  old  supremacy. 
Then  came  the  terror  of  the  Danes.  The  ab- 
beys of  Peterborough  and  Ely  in  the  fen 
country  went  up  in  flames,  and  Mercia  paid 
tribute;  but  history  is  silent  as  to  what  hap- 
pened at  Lichfield. 

197 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

With  the  coming  of  the  Normans  we  tread 
on  firmer  ground,  though  the  destruction  of 
nearly  all  archives  in  the  Civil  Wars  has  left 
Lichfield  singularly  destitute  of  early  records. 
The  foundations  of  the  Norman  church  have 
been  traced  in  part.  Nothing  remains  of  it 
above  ground.  Even  its  date  is  unknown,  but 
it  was  presumably  late  in  the  twelfth  century. 
If  ever  finished,  it  was  short  lived  at  best. 

Just  before  the  Norman  Conquest,  began 
the  long  rivalry  between  Lichfield  and  its 
neighbor  Coventry  for  chief  authority  in  the 
diocese.  Influenced  by  his  beautiful  Lady 
Godiva,  famed  for  her  ride  through  Coventry, 
Earl  Leofric  built  and  endowed  a  great  Bene- 
dictine Abbey,  so  wealthy  that  "the  walls 
seemed  almost  too  strait  to  hold  it  all." 
Wealth  meant  power,  and  the  monks  of 
Coventry,  pitted  against  the  canons  of  Lich- 
field, became  involved  in  a  warfare  far  from 
spiritual.  At  one  period  a  bishop  bought 
from  the  King  the  barony  of  Coventry,  he 
and  his  successors  becoming  also  abbots  of 
the  monastery,  to  the  great  irritation  of  the 
monks,  who  contended  that  Coventry  was  be- 
ing exploited  for  the  enrichment  of  the  Cathe- 
dral at  Lichfield.    Roger  de  Clinton,  known  as 

198 


WEST    FRONT,    LICHFIELD    CATHEDRAL. 


LICHFIELD 

the  "soldier-bishop,"  for  he  was  a  crusader,  is 
credited  with  building  Lichfield's  Norman 
Cathedral,  but  the  thirteenth  centurj^  saw  the 
complete  transformation  of  the  heavy  Nor- 
man building  into  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
of  English  Gothic  churches.  When  and  how 
the  various  changes  came  about,  and  by  whom 
they  were  made,  can  only  be  conjectured. 

Lichfield  Cathedral,  one  of  the  smallest  of 
English  minsters,  is  also  one  of  the  loveliest, 
with  a  subtle  charm  which  is  captivating. 
Seen  from  a  slight  distance,  there  is  a  fascina- 
tion about  the  way  in  which  its  three  delicate 
spires,  "the  ladies  of  the  vale,"  group  them- 
selves to  the  bewilderment  of  the  beholder. 
You  view  them  from  the  southwest  over  the 
tree  tops  by  "Minster  pool"  and  they  are  of 
equal  height.  You  approach  them  circum- 
spectly from  the  west  and  the  two  front 
spires  rise  to  an  imposing  altitude,  while  the 
third  drops  into  the  background.  Perj^lexed, 
you  climb  the  hillside  on  the  north  or  cross 
Minster  pool  at  its  eastern  end,  when  the  cen- 
tral tower  easily  soars  above  her  elusive  west- 
ern sisters. 

Entering  the  Cathedral  Close  by  the  west- 
ern roadway,  only  the  scantiest  indications  of 

199 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

the  old  gate,  one  of  Bishop  Langton's  "beau- 
tiful gates,"  can  be  detected;  nor  is  the  en- 
closure itself  extensive.  Yet  there  is  a  cozy 
loveliness  about  the  spot  which  seems  an  ap- 
propriate setting  for  this  demure  Cathedral 
resting  serenely  against  the  sloping  hillside, 
giving  no  hint  at  first  of  its  checkered  and 
perilous  career.  The  color  of  the  building  is 
distinctive,  born  of  its  own  surroundings, — 
not  a  "cathedral  gray"  nor  yet  the  mellow 
brown  of  Westminster,  but  a  warm  red  sand- 
stone quarried  from  the  neighboring  hills,  its 
varying  tones  lending  their  lights  and  shadows 
to  the  nobly  designed  and  richly  carved 
fa9ade. 

Lichfield  Cathedral  is  Gothic  throughout. 
In  striking  contrast  to  the  severe  Early  Eng- 
lish of  Salisbury,  it  expresses  the  full  flower- 
ing of  the  luxuriant  Decorated  style,  with 
just  enough  of  the  Early  English  to  show 
the  evolution  of  the  Gothic  spirit.  As  you 
enter  the  church  you  feel  at  once  its  atmos- 
phere of  refinement  and  elegance,  though  it 
is  less  awe-inspiring,  perhaps,  than  some  of  the 
greater  cathedrals.  Shorter  by  at  least  a 
hundred  feet  than  Canterbury  or  Ely,  its  pro- 
portions are  so  perfect  that  all  considerations 

200 


LICHFIELD 

of  size  are  lost  in  the  impression  of  its  beauty. 
As  you  stand  by  the  west  door  and  look  up 
through  the  nave,  it  seems  illumined  with  a 
ruddy  glow.  The  lighter  shades  of  the  sand- 
stone used  for  the  interior  have  a  roseate  tinge, 
and  there  are  no  dark  Purbeck  marble  shafts 
so  frequently  used  in  early  English  archi- 
tecture. You  will  notice,  perhaps,  that  the 
orientation  of  nave  and  choir  is  not  quite  per- 
fect. The  eastern  end  inclines  to  the  left 
about  ten  degrees  north  of  the  true  east. 
There  was  an  old  theory  that  this  was  in  allu- 
sion to  the  drooping  of  the  head  of  Christ 
upon  the  Cross,  but  this  theory,  like  many 
medieval  superstitions,  is  hardly  to  be  credited 
in  a  scientific  age. 

Lichfield  has  been  damaged  and  restored  to 
a  pitiful  extent,  but  the  interior  of  her  beauti- 
ful nave  has  been  remarkably  preserved 
almost  in  its  original  state.  Here  you  can 
study  Decorated  Gothic  in  its  finest  expres- 
sion. Notice  the  clustered  columns  which 
form  the  piers  of  the  nave.  No  bands  en- 
circle them  as  in  the  Early  English  period. 
The  capitals  are  carved  with  foliage  in  great 
variety.  Sculptured  lieads  terminate  the  drip- 
stones over  the  great  arches,  and  the  spandrels 

201 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

are  decorated  with  circles  each  enclosing  a 
cinquefoil.  Very  lavish  is  the  decoration  of 
the  triforium  with  its  dog-tooth  moldings, 
above  which  a  similar  molding  forms  the  hori- 
zontal "string  course"  and  still  higher  up 
incloses  the  clerestory  windows.  These  odd- 
shaped  clerestory  windows,  spherical  trian- 
gles, are  somewhat  rare,  although  they  may 
be  noticed  on  the  outside  wall  of  the  tri- 
forium at  Westminster  Abbey.  Noticeable 
also  are  the  heavily  carved  capitals  of  the 
slender  vaulting  shafts,  between  the  bays  of 
the  triforium,  where  they  spread  out  to  form 
the  roof.  Lichfield's  roof  is  characteristically 
English.  The  long  molding  running  length- 
wise where  the  vaulting  ribs  meet  overhead 
serves  to  emphasize  the  great  length  of  the 
English  cathedral,  so  different  from  the  con- 
tinental churches  where  height  was  especially 
sought.  This  roof  is  more  than  usually 
adorned,  heavy  carved  bosses  marking  the 
junction  of  the  ribs.  The  windows  of  the 
aisles  are  very  interesting.  No  longer  the 
single  lancets  of  the  Early  English,  their 
three  lancet-shaped  panes  set  under  a  single 
arch,  with  trefoiled  circles  above,  mark  the 
geometrical    stage    of    the    Decorated    style. 

202 


LICHFIELD 

Below  the  windows  along  the  walls  of  the  aisle 
runs  a  charming  arcade  of  trefoiled  arches, 
and  above  each  arch  a  pointed  molding 
adorned  with  crockets.  These  details  show 
how  enthusiastically  the  Gothic  builders  in 
the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century  strove  to 
enrich  their  buildings.  They  were  remark- 
ably skilled  craftsmen,  and  the  enormous  ex- 
tent to  which  Lichfield  has  been  restored  dur- 
ing the  nineteenth  century  frequently  makes 
it  possible  to  compare  the  old  with  the  later 
work. 

Entering  the  choir  just  east  of  the  central 
tower,  we  are  in  the  oldest  part  of  the  present 
building.  The  first  three  bays  comprise  all 
that  remains  of  the  record  of  the  Early  Eng- 
lish builders,  and  even  this  has  been  largely 
replaced  by  modern  carving,  though  restored 
as  faithfully  as  the  nineteenth  century  was 
capable  of  expressing  the  spirit  of  the  thir- 
teenth. With  the  aid  of  the  building  itself 
and  the  meager  records,  we  learn  its  story. 
The  transept  followed  the  choir  in  point  of 
date,  and  their  Early  P2nglish  qualities  are 
very  marked.  A  number  of  the  original  lan- 
cet windows  remain,  but  the  story  of  the  five 
large  lancets   in  the  north  transept  is  very 

203 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

curious.  They  had  been  removed  probably  at 
a  time  when  large  Perpendicular  windows 
prevailed,  and  one  of  these,  as  in  the  south 
transept,  occupied  their  place.  But  in  the 
course  of  nineteenth-century  repairs  the  head- 
ings of  the  original  lancets  were  discovered 
just  as  they  had  been  hidden  by  the  earher 
workmen.  In  1892  these  old  lancets  were 
therefore  replaced,  and  the  headings  of  the 
lights  on  the  inside  are  now  complete  except 
for  six  missing  stones,  three  of  which  have 
since  been  found.  The  original,  probably 
wooden,  roof  of  the  transept  was  changed  to 
a  low  stone  vault  in  the  Perpendicular  period, 
so  that  the  window  in  the  gable  of  each  tran- 
sept does  not  appear  on  the  inside. 

At  the  far  east  end  is  the  Lady  Chapel, 
begun  by  Bishop  Walter  de  Langton,  but  fin- 
ished under  his  successor.  Bishop  Norbury, 
about  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century. 
This  chapel  is  the  glory  of  the  Cathedral.  Its 
superb  tall  stained-glass  windows,  unusually 
rich  and  deep  in  coloring,  shed  their  radiance 
over  the  whole  east  end  of  the  church,  and  as 
you  look  up  through  the  long  vista  of  the  nave 
their  brilliant  colors  glowing  in  the  distance 
add  the  final  touch  of  beauty  to  this  wonderful 

204 


LICHFIELD 

little  Cathedral.  The  form  of  the  Lady 
Chapel,  a  fine  polygonal  Gothic  apse  without 
aisles,  is  a  French  rather  than  an  English 
feature,  and  though  the  Roundheads  left  not 
a  vestige  of  stained  glass  in  the  Cathedral, 
these  graceful  windows  were  filled  early  in  the 
last  century  with  fine  old  sixteentli-century 
Italian-Flemish  glass  of  the  best  period.  The 
Cathedral  owes  this  magnificent  acquisition  to 
Sir  Brooke  Boothby,  wlio  discovered  the  glass 
in  Belgium  in  1802,  where  it  had  been  hidden 
after  the  dissolution  of  the  abbey  of  Herken- 
rode.  The  glass  has  been  valued  at  fifteen 
thousand  pounds,  but  the  donor  generously 
sold  it  to  the  Cathedral  for  the  two  hundred 
pounds  w^hich  he  had  paid  for  it.  The  seven 
easternmost  windows  of  the  chapel  are  filled 
with  this  glass.  The  remaining  two  windows 
contain  glass  which  also  came  presumably 
from  the  Low  Countries  and  belongs  to  about 
the  same  period.  It  bears  the  arms  of  the 
kingdom  of  Arragon.  The  arcading  around 
the  walls  of  the  Lady  Chapel  and  the  beautiful 
band  of  tracery  above,  with  the  brackets  and 
canopies  for  saints,  are  of  ancient  date — Dec- 
orated Gothic — but  the  Roundheads  made 
short  work  of  the  saints  and  the  present  figures 

205 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

can  claim  merely  the  prestige  of  good  modern 
craftsmanship. 

Bishop  Langton's  Ladj^  Chapel  only  paved 
the  way  for  further  Gothic  achievements.  The 
passion  for  "improving"  cathedrals  seems  to 
have  been  a  kind  of  primal  instinct  in  the 
Middle  Ages.  The  Early  English  style  was 
scarcely  "up-to-date"  at  this  time,  and  the 
presbytery  between  the  Lady  Chapel  and  the 
choir  was  accordingly  rebuilt  in  Decorated 
Gothic.  You  can  detect  the  skillful  way  in 
which  the  early  architects  welded  the  styles 
together,  the  third  pier  carrying  Early  Eng- 
lish capitals  on  the  west  and  Decorated  on 
the  east,  and  if  you  examine  the  pier  arches 
of  the  choir  closely  you  will  see  that  the  front 
half  of  their  moldings  has  been  removed  and 
others  substituted  to  correspond  to  those  in 
the  presbytery.  You  notice  also  the  differ- 
ence between  the  east  and  west  ends  of  the 
wall  arcading  in  the  aisles  of  the  choir.  The 
Decorated  work  of  this  very  lovely  part  of  the 
Cathedral  is  worthy  of  most  careful  study. 
At  first  glance  the  large  clerestory  windows 
meeting  the  great  pier  arches  seem  to  have 
obliterated  the  triforium.  Then  you  observe 
that  the  windows  have  very  high  paneled  sills, 

206 


LICHFIELD 

allowing  a  passage  to  run  along  in  front  of 
them,  the  true  triforium,  just  behind  the  beau- 
tiful trefoiled  "string  course"  above  the  pier 
arches.  This  unique  triforium  made  possible 
also  another  unusual  and  highly  decorative 
feature,  the  band  of  quatrefoil  molding  which 
incloses  each  window.  Sadly  enough,  only  one 
of  the  windows  has  been  suffered  to  keep  its 
original  tracery,  which  is  an  exceptionally 
beautiful  example  of  the  Late  Decorated  style. 
Cathedral  fashions  demanded  a  change,  and 
the  Civil  Wars  doubtless  necessitated  some  res- 
torations. Lichfield  and  York  cathedrals  re- 
semble each  other  in  many  respects.  Both  are 
very  simple  in  design,  and  being  cathedrals  of 
the  Old  Foundation  have  no  cloisters.  Each 
represents  chiefly  Early  English  and  Deco- 
rated Gothic,  with  some  Perpendicular  addi- 
tions at  a  later  period.  Lichfield's  small  tri- 
forium is  similar  to  that  at  York,  while  the  five 
lancets  of  its  north  transept  suggest  York's 
famous  "Five  Sisters." 

In  the  Chapter  House  and  its  lavishly 
adorned  entrance  passage  leading  out  of  the 
north  aisle,  there  is  a  wealth  of  carving  later 
than  the  Early  English  choir  and  transepts, 
but  earlier  than  the  presbytery,  so  that  the 

207 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

whole  Cathedral  illustrates  in  a  remarkable 
degree  the  successive  steps  in  the  development 
of  a  great  art.  You  note  carefully  in  this 
Chapter  House  the  fine  deep-cut  carving  of 
capitals  and  m'oldings,  the  central  pillar  with 
its  delicate  shafts  spreading  out  like  the 
branches  of  a  tree,  and  on  the  wall  arcade  a 
series  of  ingeniously  carved  heads  illustrating 
in  great  variety  the  head-dresses  of  the  time. 
St.  Chad's  shrine  once  stood  behind  the 
high  altar.  In  its  place  is  now  kept  under 
glass  one  of  the  Cathedral's  greatest  his- 
toric treasures,  an  Irish  seventeenth-century 
manuscript  generally  known  as  St.  Chad's 
Gospels.  The  manuscript  is  on  vellum  and 
contains  the  Gospels  of  ^latthew  and  Mark 
and  a  portion  of  Luke.  St.  Chad  is  supposed 
to  have  visited  one  of  the  famous  Irish  monas- 
teries in  his  student  days,  when  that  country 
was  the  center  of  learning  in  the  north.  The 
manuscript  contains  marginal  notes  in  Celtic, 
Anglo-Saxon,  and  Latin,  and  when  the  Ca- 
thedral of  Llandaff  acquired  it  in  exchange 
for  a  horse,  Aidan  (whether  the  famous 
bishop  or  some  other  is  unknown)  set  his  sig- 
nature to  the  transaction.  Lichfield  has 
probably  owned  the  manuscript  for  a  thou- 

20.8 


LICHFIELD 

sand  years.  It  was  saved  in  the  Civil  Wars 
by  the  precentor,  who  hid  it  until  the  troubles 
were  over.  Near  by  in  the  south  aisle  is  the 
famous  monument  of  the  "Sleeping  Chil- 
dren," by  Chantrey,  an  early  example  of  the 
new  spirit  being  felt  in  English  art  in  1817. 

Halfway  down  the  aisle  a  tiny  gallery  leads 
to  the  charming  little  Early  English  chapel 
of  the  Head  of  St.  Chad,  still  containing  an 
old  stone  aumbry  or  cupboard,  the  traditional 
spot  where  St.  Chad's  head  was  preserved  and 
exhibited  from  the  gallery  to  the  pilgrims  be- 
low. The  chapel  was  ruined  in  the  Civil  Wars, 
but  in  its  restored  form  is  a  worthy  memorial. 

So  from  its  earliest  beginnings  the  church 
of  the  lowly  and  peace-loving  St.  Chad  has 
breathed  the  atmosphere  of  w^arfare.  When 
Bishop  Langton  honored  the  memory  of  the 
Saint  by  erecting  a  great  shrine  between  the 
Lady  Chapel  and  the  high  altar,  the  fight- 
ing traditions  of  Mercia  were  still  deeply 
rooted  in  Lichfield,  and  the  militant  bishop 
who  was  also  Edward  I's  Lord  High  Treas- 
urer, built  himself  a  glorious  palace  with 
tow^ers  and  turrets  near  to  the  Cathedral  and 
then  added  to  the  previous  fortifications  of 
the  Close  "two  beautiful  gates"  and  a  high 

209 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

stone  wall.  A  deep  moat  beside  the  palace 
protected  the  Close  on  the  east,  and  the  beau- 
tiful Minster  pool,  supplied  by  nature  on  the 
south,  completed  its  defenses. 

But  the  fate  of  those  who  "take  the  sword" 
was  never  more  signally  illustrated  than  here, 
for  the  Cathedral's  fortifications  proved  its 
undoing.  When  the  anarchy  of  the  Civil 
Wars  broke  out,  the  Royalists  took  refuge  in 
the  Close.  In  March,  1643,  a  force  of  Round- 
heads under  Lord  Brooke,  an  ardent  hater  of 
cathedrals,  arrived  in  Lichfield,  and  the  siege 
began.  Having  dedicated  Lichfield's  church 
to  destruction,  Lord  Brooke  had  first  halted 
his  army  in  sight  of  the  town  and  devoutly 
prayed  for  some  special  token  of  divine  ap- 
proval. He  had  scarcely  trained  his  guns  on 
the  southeast  gate  of  the  Close  when  a  shot 
fired  from  the  battlements  of  the  great  tower 
struck  him  in  the  forehead  and  he  fell  dead. 
His  fate  was  regarded  by  the  besieged  as 
clearly  a  miracle.  It  was  March  2,  St.  Chad's 
Day,  and  the  shot  fired  from  St.  Chad's 
Church  was  the  work  of  "Dumb  Dyott,"  a 
deaf-mute  whose  affliction  marked  him  as  a 
special  agent  of  the  divine  will!  Lord 
Brooke's  deaiyh  was  kept  a  secret  as  long  as 

210 


Valtntine  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  DiMidc.-. 

INTERIOR    OF    LADY    CHAPEL,    LICHFIELD    CATHEDRAL. 


LICHFIELD 

possible,  lest  his  soldiers  should  consider  it  a 
sign,  and  the  bombardment  went  on  for  three 
days,  when  the  besieged  capitulated. 

The  Cathedral  was  in  a  pitiable  state,  its 
walls  weakened,  the  stained  glass  destroyed, 
and  the  central  tower  demolished.  In  its  fall 
it  had  broken  the  roof  of  the  church  in  several 
places.  To  add  to  its  desecration  the  Parlia- 
mentary soldiers  took  possession  of  the 
church,  pulled  down  the  carved  woodwork, 
stripped  the  tombs  of  their  brasses,  battered 
the  saints,  and  destroyed  the  ancient  records 
stored  in  the  Cathedral.  The  discovery  of  a 
chalice  and  crozier  in  one  of  the  tombs  led  to 
the  rifling  of  others,  and  the  soldiers  amused 
themselves  by  hunting  a  cat  with  hounds 
through  the  church,  "delighting  themselves 
with  the  echo  from  the  goodly  vaulted  roof." 

The  Cathedral  remained  in  a  sadly  dilap- 
idated condition  until,  in  1661,  Bishop  Hacket 
cleared  out  the  rubbish,  inserted  the  Perpen- 
dicular windows,  and  reerected  the  central 
spire,  when  the  inherent  beauty  of  the  build- 
ing was  once  more  apparent. 

In  the  eigliteenth  century  a  famous 
preacher.  Dr.  Sacheverel,  held  forth  in  the 
Cathedral  against  the  perniciousness  of  dis- 

211 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

sent!  His  most  fascinated  auditor  was  Sam- 
uel Jolinson,  aged  three,  who,  perched  upon 
his  father's  shoulders,  "would  have  stayed  for- 
ever in  the  church,  satisfied  with  beholding 
him."  Lichfield  reveres  his  memory.  In  its 
old  grammar  school,  Johnson,  Addison,  and 
David  Garrick  were  all  educated.  His  birth- 
place, where  his  father  also  had  a  bookshop, 
has  been  secured  by  the  city  as  a  permanent 
memorial.  Next  door  is  the  Three  Crowns, 
where  Johnson  frequently  stayed.  Opposite 
in  the  public  square  is  his  monument,  with 
reliefs  commemorating  the  Sacheverel  inci- 
dent, the  devotion  of  his  school  fellows  who 
carried  him  on  their  backs  to  school,  and  his 
penance  at  Uttoxeter  where  he  stood  bare- 
headed in  the  rain  for  three  hours  to  expiate 
a  youthful  disobedience.  Behind  Johnson's 
back  at  the  further  end  of  the  Square  stands 
Bos  well !  In  the  south  transept  of  the  Cathe- 
dral are  tablets  to  both  Johnson  and  Garrick, 
and  a  statue  of  Johnson  also  occupies  a  niche 
on  the  exterior  of  the  south  wall. 

During  Johnson's  century  it  was  found 
that  the  walls  of  the  nave,  weakened  by  ill 
treatment,  were  being  forced  out  by  the  heavy 
roof,  which  necessitated  a  change  from  stone 

212 


alentine  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  Dundee. 

EXTERIOR    OF    LADY    CHAPEL,    LICHFIELD    CATHEDRAL 


LICHFIELD 

to  lath  and  plaster  except  in  the  end  bays.  At 
this  time  also  the  fatal  era  of  Roman  cement 
was  introduced  by  the  architect  Wyatt, 
though  it  was  not  until  after  his  time  that  it 
ran  riot.  Then  much  of  the  west  front  was 
cased  with  blocks  of  stucco,  while  rows  of  ugly 
cement  figures  filled  the  niches  and  old  carv- 
ings were  ruthlessly  pared  away.  In  the  last 
half  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  Cathedral 
submitted  to  its  final  experience  of  architec- 
tural surgery.  A  more  sympathetic  restorer, 
Sir  Gilbert  Scott,  endeavored  to  approach 
in  stone  once  more  the  spirit  of  the  old 
Gothic.  He  scarcely  escaped  the  tempta- 
tion to  make  all  things  new  which  must  beset 
such  a  restorer,  but  the  building  as  it  greets 
us  to-day  is  nevertheless  a  vision  of  loveliness. 
A  final  stroll  around  the  outside  of  the 
Cathedral  shows  us  the  venerable  north 
transept  door  and  walls  of  the  nave  much 
as  the  early  builders  left  them.  On  the  south 
side  the  bullet  marks  of  the  great  siege  are 
still  visible,  and  though  the  south  transept 
door  and  the  entire  west  front  with  its  ex- 
quisitely designed  doorways  are  practically 
new  throughout,  the  general  effect  of  the  Ca- 
thedral is  certainly  one  of  irresistible  charm. 

213 


PLAn    or 
LICHriLLD  CATMLDRAL 

214 


BRIEF    SUMMARY    FOR    THE    TRAVELER 
Cathedral  begun  in  early   13th  century.     One  of 

THE  smallest  AND  LOVELIEST  OF  ENGLISH  CATHE- 
DRALS. Chiefly  Early  English  and  Decorated 
Gothic   in  style. 

PZan;  Cruciform,  with  Polygonal  Apse  at  east  eod. 

Choir  (very  early  13th  century) 

Early  English.  Extended  from  central  tower  east- 
ward to  the  seventh  bay  of  present  choir,  but  only  the 
three  bays  next  the  tower  now  remain.  First  bays  of 
choir  aisles  are  Early  English,  with  windows  which  look 
into  transept  aisle,  showing  that  transepts  were  built 
later.  Wall  arcading  in  aisles;  first  three  bays  Early 
English,  remaining  bays  Decorated  period  and  smaller, 
with  differences  in  pattern. 

Sacristy  in  south  aisle  (now  Consistory  Court) 
Early  English.  Floor  contains  old  tiles  and  two  cannel 
coal  slabs,  as  used  in  old  choir  pavement.  Above  it  is 
Chapel  of  St.  Chad,  Twelve  old  lancet  windows,  but 
otherwise  restored  in   19th  century.     Modern  glass. 

Transepts  (early  13th  century) 

Early  Englisht  South  transept  earlier  and  north 
transept  about  the  time  of  the  Chapter  House.  Some 
of  the  original  lancets  remain.  Low  stone  vaulting 
added  in  Perpendicular  period.  It  cuts  off  rose  win- 
dow on  south  wall  and  upper  lancets  on  north  wall. 
Large  perpendicular  window  in  south  transept.    Early 

215 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

English  window  in  north  transept^  a  genuine  restoration 
by  Sir  Gilbert  Scott,  made  possible  by  discovery  of  orig- 
inal stones. 

Central  spire  probably  first  built  in  13th  century. 
Rebult  after  Civil  Wars. 

Chapter  House  and  Vestibule  (middle  of  13th  century) 

Early  English,  but  later  than  choir.  Double  and  sin- 
gle wall  arcading  in  vestibule.  Capitals  and  corbels 
finely  carved  and  deeply  undercut.  Chapter  House 
doorway  double  and  deeply  recessed.  Very  richly 
carved. 

Chapter  House  octagonal,  with  central  pillar  of  clus- 
tered shafts,  banded  and  elaborate  capitals.  Vaulting 
ribs  spread  like  a  tree.  Bosses  and  corbels  very  decora- 
tive features  of  roof.  Windows  double  lancets.  Re- 
mains of  early  frescoes  over  doorway.     Glass  modern. 

Nave  (late  13th  century) 

Early  Decorated  Gothic.  Geometrical  windows  in 
aisles.  Clustered  piers,  with  Decorated  capitals. 
Cinquefoils  in  spandrels  of  arches.  Triforium  unusu- 
ally large  and  prominent.  Dog-tooth  molding  used 
lavishly.  Clerestory  windows  spherical  triangles.  Roof 
profusely  decorated.     Carved  capitals  of  vaulting  shafts. 

Arcade,  with  bench  along  aisle  walls.  West  window 
modern,  but  in  the  spirit  of  the  14th  century.  Roof 
changed  from  stone  to  lath  and  plaster,  except  in  end 
bays,  owing  to  bulging  of  clerestory  walls. 

West  Front  (1280-1330) 

Decorated  Gothic  originally.  Nearly  all  new,  but 
closely   patterned   after   the   original   design.      No  win- 

216 


LICHFIELD 

dows  at  end  of  aisles,  an  unusual  feature — probably 
built  in  three  stages,  1,  Contains  the  three  beautiful 
doorways,  and  arcading  above  with  statues  of  kings.  2. 
Two  rows  of  arcading,  divided  by  west  window,  with 
pediment  above.  3.  Belfry  windows  and  square  part 
of  towers.  Ball  flower  a  l^th  century  ornament  on 
towers  and  spires.  Trefoils,  quatrefoils,  etc.,  lavishly 
used. 

Lady  Chapel  (early  14th  century) 

Decorated  Gothic.  Early  14th  century.  Chapel 
forms  a  Gothic  apse  without  aisles,  a  French  feature. 
Nine  tall  windows,  recently  restored  to  their  original 
style  of  Decorated  tracery.  Seven  easternmost,  filled 
with  Flemish  l6th  century  glass  of  best  period,  1802. 
Exact  history  of  remaining  two  windows  unknown. 
Arms  of  Kingdom  of  Arragon.  Probably  from  the  Low 
Countries.  Nearly  same  date  as  Herkenrode  glass. 
Bought  by  Cathedral  in  1895. 

Arcade  of  small  canopies  in  Decorated  style  around 
entire  chapel;  above  them  a  trefoiled,  battlemented  para- 
pet running  beneath  the  windows.  Gothic  roof,  with 
slender  vaulting  shafts  running  up  from  the  floor.  Can- 
opies and  niches  halfway  up  the  shafts,  beautiful  14th 
century   work.      Figures    modern,    finely    carved. 

Presbytery  (14th  century) 

Decorated  Gothic.  Rebuilt  after  Lady  Chapel. 
Joined  to  choir  at  third  pier,  which  shows  Early  Eng- 
lish capitals  on  the  west  and  Decorated  capitals  on 
the  East.  Front  moldings  of  the  three  Early  English 
arches  altered  to  harmonize  with  new  work. 

217 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Apparent  absence  of  triforium  because  pier  arches 
reach  to  sills  of  Clerestory  windows,  but  passage  in  front 
of  sills  forms  triforium^  with  a  trefoiled  parapet  run- 
ning outside  of  it.  Compare  with  choir  of  York.  Bands 
of  quatrefoils  surround  the  windows. 

One  original  clerestory  window  on  southeast  side,  late 
Decorated  tracery,  remains  from  the  14th  century.  All 
remaining  clerestory  windows  17th  century  imitation  of 
Perpendicular  style.  Modern  pavement  of  presbytery: 
Scenes  in  history  of  St.  Chad.  Choir  screen  modern. 
Stalls  modern,  carved  by  Mr.  Evans,  a  cousin  of  George 
Eliot,  and  presumably  the  original  of  Seth  in  Adam 
Bede. 

Spires  (1360  and  17th  century) 

Two  western  spires.  Octagonal  and  open  all  the 
way  up.  Both  have  been  partially  rebuilt,  193  feet 
high.  Central  spire  entirely  rebuilt  in  17th  century. 
Line  of  old  Norman  roof  can  still  be  seen  at  base  of 
tower.     252  feet  high. 


218 


CHAPTER    IX 

YORK 

YORK  Cathedral  stands  on  the  site  of  an 
old  Roman  camp.  As  you  stroll  about 
the  city  within  the  shelter  of  its  mas- 
sive walls  or  along  the  banks  of  the  river  Ouse, 
your  thoughts  go  back  to  the  days  of  Agricola 
in  the  first  century,  when  his  Roman  cohorts 
dispossessed  the  early  inhabitants  and  planted 
Roman  civilization  here  for  three  hundred 
years.  At  Bootham  Bar  you  are  close  to  one 
corner  of  the  Roman  camp,  and  you  climb  the 
old  gate  to  the  top  of  the  wall,  following  it 
around  two  sides  of  the  cathedral  close.  You 
have  a  strange  feeling  that  the  centuries  are 
both  beneath  and  above  you  as  you  look  down 
into  churchly  gardens  where  Roman  sentries 
must  once  have  kept  guard,  and  then  up  to  the 
towering  Gothic  Cathedral.  Here  you  get  the 
finest  view  of  the  minster,  secure  in  its  posses- 
sion of  a  vast  immensity  which  has  not  its 

219 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

like  in  England,  and  you  feel  its  character, 
regal,  stately,  magnificent. 

York's  Roman  name  was  Eboracum.  The 
Archbishop  of  York  to  this  day  appropriates 
this  oldest  of  designations  and  signs  himself 
Ebor.  Through  Saxon  and  Danish  speech 
Eboracum  evolved  into  Yorvik  and  then 
easily  shortened  into  York.  Three  Roman 
emperors  found  the  city  worth  a  residence, 
and  the  young  Constantine  at  his  father's 
death  in  306  was  here  first  proclaimed  em- 
peror. Centuries  before  Augustine  brought 
the  Roman  church  to  Britain,  Christianity  by 
some  means  found  its  way  hither.  Tertullian 
records  that  British  missionaries  labored  suc- 
cessfully outside  the  Roman  settlements,  and 
at  York  the  discovery  of  a  stone  coffin  with 
Christian  inscriptions  seems  certain  evidence 
that  the  light  shone  within  the  Roman  city 
itself.  Moreover,  York  was  the  British  capi- 
tal in  the  time  of  Constantine,  and  at  the 
Council  of  Aries  in  314  British  Bishops  of 
York,  London,  and  possibly  Lincoln,  are 
known  to  have  been  present.  But  in  the  next 
century  the  Goths  came  down  upon  Rome,  the 
legions  were  recalled  and  Britain  left  to  its 
fate.    Then  the  Saxon  invasion  came  surging 

220 


WEST   FRONT,    YORK   CATHEDRAL. 


YORK 

in,  and  in  the  struggle  with  a  new  group  of 
pagan  deities  British  Christianity  in  the  north 
disappeared. 

You  hnger  on  the  old  city  wall,  looking  up 
at  the  huge  bulk  of  the  great  Gothic  building. 
It  offers  no  reminder  of  either  Roman,  Saxon, 
or  Norman.  After  the  Romans  left,  a  thou- 
sand years  slipped  by  before  this  present 
Cathedral  was  finished,  but  the  whole  region 
is  full  of  memories.  We  have  already  seen 
how  Mercia  fought  the  battles  of  paganism  in 
the  seventh  centurj^  It  was  her  great  rival, 
Northumbria,  which,  under  enlightened  rulers, 
won  the  north  for  Christianity.  In  627  Ed- 
win of  Northumbria  arranged  an  alliance  with 
the  daughter  of  the  Christian  King  of  Kent, 
agreeing  that  she  should  be  accompanied  by 
her  Christian  chaplain.  Paulinus,  possibly  a 
Briton,  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  York  by 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbiny  and  set  forth 
with  Ethelburga  to  York.  The  merits  of  the 
new  faith  were  solemnly  debated  by  Edwin 
and  his  wise  men,  till  heathen  priests  and  peo- 
ple at  length  forsook  the  old  gods,  and  on 
Easter  Day  the  King  and  his  court  were  bap- 
tized. Edwin  erected  a  temporary  wooden 
chapel    for   the    ceremony,    and    immediately 

221 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

afterward,  on  the  same  site,  began  a  stone 
church,  dedicated  to  St.  Peter.  A  few  years 
later  PauHnus  received  from  the  Pope  a  pall, 
the  emblem  of  an  archbishop,  permitting  him 
to  assemble  councils  and  consecrate  bishops, 
and  this  significant  act  made  York  the  chief 
ecclesiastical  center  of  the  north. 

But  troublous  times  were  to  come.  Edwin 
was  killed  in  battle  and  anarchy  overtook 
Northumbria.  Paulinus  fled  southward  with 
Ethelburga,  whom  he  restored  to  her  Kentish 
home,  but  he  never  returned.  Meanwhile  the 
island  monastery  of  lona  in  western  Scot- 
land, founded  by  the  Irish  Columba,  had  been 
sending  Celtic  missionaries  through  the  north 
country.  Young  Oswald  of  Northumbria, 
taking  refuge  in  lona,  became  a  Christian. 
Returning  to  his  kingdom,  he  straightway 
founded  a  new  monastery  at  Lindisfarne,  or 
Holy  Island,  on  the  North  Sea,  installing 
Aidan  as  bishop  to  train  preachers  for  his 
people.  Oswald  finished  the  Cathedral  begun 
by  Edwin,  but  he  also  fell  in  battle,  and  Oswi, 
his  successor,  had  to  face  dissensions  in  the 
new  Christian  church  and  ultimately  to  decide 
the  future  of  the  Church  of  England.  On 
the  one  hand  were  two  active  young  Roman 

222 


NAVE   OF   YORK    CATHEDRAL. 


YORK 

priests,  Benedict  Biscop  and  Wilfred,  ardent 
believers  in  Roman  authority  and  intent  upon 
regaining  the  supremacy  which  Rome  had 
lost.  On  the  other  were  the  Celtic  priests, 
naturally  holding  with  tenacity  to  their  Irish 
traditions.  The  differences  between  the  two 
schools  were  trifling — the  date  of  Easter  and 
the  shape  of  the  tonsure — but  the  feeling 
was  very  bitter.  At  the  great  Council  of 
Whitby  in  664,  called  by  Oswi,  he  finally  de- 
cided in  favor  of  St.  Peter,  whose  possession 
of  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
seemed  a  more  conclusive  argument  than  the 
modest  claims  of  the  Celtic  priests  in  behalf 
of  Columba.  Thereupon  the  Bishop  of  Lin- 
disfarne  with  thirty  Irish  and  some  English 
brethren  sailed  away  to  lona,  and  Wilfred 
was  made  Bishop  of  York.  Wilfred  charac- 
teristically refused  to  be  consecrated  by  a 
Celtic  bishop  and  went  to  Gaul  for  that  pur- 
pose. Energetic  and  restless,  he  was  a  con- 
spicuous figure  in  his  time.  He  repaired 
York  minster,  and  built  other  churches,  trav- 
eling over  his  diocese  with  a  train  of  artists, 
builders  and  teachers.  He  influenced  King 
Ecgfrith  of  Xorthumbria  to  relinquish  his 
Queen,  Etheldreda,  that  she  might  found  a 

223 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

religious  house  on  the  Isle  of  Ely,  and  he 
chafed  perpetually  against  the  authority  of 
Canterbury,  but  the  Pope  never  bestowed 
upon  him  the  pall.  It  remained  for  Egbert, 
a  hundred  years  after  Paulinus,  to  receive  this 
distinction.  From  that  time  the  Archbishops 
of  York  were  independent  till  the  Conquest. 
During  these  turbulent  years  York  bowed 
for  a  time  to  the  Danish  supremacy,  but  on 
the  approach  of  William  the  Norman  the 
people  revolted.  Aldred,  Archbishop  of 
York,  had  crowned  Harold,  but  after  the  bat- 
tle of  Hastings  he  swore  allegiance  to  the 
Conqueror,  and  since  the  Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury had  fled,  crowned  William  in  West- 
minster Abbey.  For  this  he  was  bitterly  cen- 
sured. William  found  the  Yorkists  intracta- 
ble, nor  could  his  castle  with  three  thousand 
Normans  overawe  them.  A  long-planned  in- 
vasion by  the  Danish  fleet  encouraged  the 
Northumbrians,  and  on  its  approach  they  rose 
as  one  man.  Aldred  tried  to  promote  peace 
and  is  said  to  have  died  of  despair  at  hearing 
of  the  Danish  invasion.  William  vowed  re- 
venge. He  bribed  the  Danes  to  retire,  burned 
the  city,  and  laid  waste  the  country  so  savage- 
ly that  famine  swept  off  a  hundred  thousand 

224 


YORK 

victims,  and  for  half  a  century  the  whole  re- 
gion north  of  York  was  deserted. 

You  find  it  difficult  to  imagine  the  attitude 
of  York  toward  the  first  Norman  Archbishop, 
Thomas  of  Bayeux,  the  Conqueror's  chaplain. 
He  had  to  face  an  outraged  people  whose  city 
was  burned  and  who  had  lost  its  chief  glory, 
the  famous  university  and  library  built  up  by 
the  great  scholar  Alcuin.  Yet  Thomas  re- 
stored the  Cathedral,  building  a  new  Norman 
nave  and  transepts  and  possibly  utilizing  the 
old  Saxon  church  for  the  choir,  called  back 
the  despairing  canons,  and  established  a  dean, 
treasurer,  precentor,  and  a  chancellor  to  super- 
vise the  schools.  St.  Peter's  Grammar  School, 
still  flourishing,  goes  back  to  the  pathetic 
days  of  Thomas  in  1080. 

At  this  point  it  is  quite  worth  while  to 
make  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Cathedral  crypt,  for 
nothing  of  the  Norman  period  is  visible  above 
ground.  In  1829  an  insane  man,  Jonathan 
Martin,  hid  himself  in  the  church  and  set  it 
on  fire.  The  stalls,  organ,  and  vault  of  the 
choir  were  destroyed,  and  in  the  repairs  which 
followed  a  large  crypt  under  the  western  end 
of  the  choir  was  discovered,  containing  several 
superb  pillars  of  late  Norman  construction, 

225 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

with  diapered  patterns  very  similar  to  those 
at  Durham.  These  belong  to  the  time  of 
Archbishop  Roger,  a  hundred  years  later  than 
Thomas. 

Roger  was  a  singular  character.  He  had 
been  archdeacon  of  Canterbury  and  chaplain 
to  Henry  II.  He  cherished  the  quarrels  of 
Thomas  of  Bayeux  and  the  succeeding  arch- 
bishops who  had  disputed  Canterbury's  claim 
to  precedence,  till  they  culminated  in  the 
childish  scene  at  Westminster  when  Richard, 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  having  seated 
himself  at  the  right  of  the  papal  legate,  ap- 
pointed to  settle  the  dispute,  Roger  refused 
to  take  a  lower  place  and  sat  down  in  Canter- 
bury's lap!  A  scuffle  ensued  and  the  legate 
retired  in  disgust.  It  was  finally  referred  to 
the  Archbishop  of  Rouen  and  the  French 
bishops,  the  titles  of  York  and  Canterbury 
ultimately  being  fixed  as  Primate  of  England 
and  Primate  of  All  England.  The  Arch- 
bishop of  York  at  the  present  time  has  au- 
thority over  nine  bishoprics.  To  Roger  York 
was  indebted  for  her  sumptuous  Norman 
choir.  He  was  familiar  with  Conrad's  "glo- 
rious choir"  at  Canterbury.  His  own  choir 
at  York  was  insignificant  and  his  superfluous 

226 


YORK 

energies  found  fit  expression  in  extending  and 
beautifying  the  east  end  of  his  Cathedral. 

York  Cathedral  up  to  1200  reflects  the  his- 
tory of  an  independent  people  slowly  adjust- 
ing themselves  to  their  lordly  Norman  rulers. 
Then  began  to  dawn  a  new  time,  when  Nor- 
man ideas  were  no  longer  dominant.  The 
Gothic  spirit  was  abroad.  The  beautiful 
Early  English  choir  erected  by  Hugh  at  Lin- 
coln had  made  a  stir  in  England.  The  prel- 
ates of  York  were  ambitious  and  aspired  to 
a  church  of  regal  proportions  in  keeping  with 
their  position.  So  for  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  York  slowly  cast  out  the  old  and  raised 
aloft  the  new,  changing  at  each  step  with  the 
changing  taste  of  the  years,  yet  preserving 
the  unity  of  her  Gothic  ideal,  and  leaving  at 
last  her  magnificent  minster  to  reveal  in  its 
own  way  England's  conception  of  Gothic  art. 

The  first  stage  of  the  transformation,  begim 
by  Archbishop  Walter  de  Gray  in  1230,  in- 
troduced the  great  Early  English  transepts, 
w^ith  all  the  lovely  effects  so  characteristic  of 
that  period.  As  you  stand  just  within  the 
south  door  and  look  across  to  the  superb 
"Five  Sisters,"  fifty-three  feet  in  height,  you 
have  one  of  the  finest  architectural  views  in 

227 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Europe.  The  heavy  choir  screen  on  the  right 
cuts  off  the  distractions  of  the  east  end  of  the 
Cathedral.  The  vast  proportions  of  the  whole 
transept,  223  feet  in  length  and  93  in  width, 
the  great  square  central  tower  rising  180  feet 
above  you,  and  the  suggestions  of  an  enor- 
mous nave  just  at  hand  are  almost  over- 
whelming. Gradually  taking  in  the  details 
more  completely,  you  notice  the  strong,  bold 
lines  of  the  triforium,  the  lancets  of  the  clere- 
story, the  Early  English  shafts  and  carving, 
and  above  all  the  daring  and  masterly  way  in 
which  the  five  immense  lancet  windows  with 
other  five  above  them  fill  the  broad  space  of 
the  north  wall.  Ethereal  and  mysterious  are 
the  Five  Sisters,  still  cherishing  their  ancient 
splendor.  The  glass  of  the  windows  above 
them  is  modern,  but  here,  on  the  soft  gray- 
green  Early  English  glass  of  the  Sisters, 
you  can  see,  as  in  the  old  days,  in  delicate 
tints  the  pattern  of  the  Herb  Benet,  with  vari- 
ously colored  medallions  subtly  interspersed, 
and  at  the  foot  of  the  central  light  a  panel  of 
Norman  glass.  Legend  naturally  busied  itself 
in  connecting  the  window  designs  with  the 
embroidery  of  five  sisters  who  resisted  all  at- 
tempts  to   allure   them   into   a   convent   and 

228 


YORK 

finally  slept  in  the  Cathedral,  where  the  light 
from  the  windows  fell  upon  their  tombstones. 
You  find  some  of  the  loveliest  carving  in  the 
Cathedral  in  these  transepts.  Notice  especial- 
ly the  shafts  supporting  the  stone  vaults  of 
the  aisles.  The  architect  evidently  delighted 
in  his  triforium  and  made  it  unusually  promi- 
nent. He  enriched  it  with  contrasts  of  dark 
and  light  stone,  carved  rosettes  between  the 
sharp-pointed  arches,  set  plate  tracery  of  qua- 
trefoils  and  cinquefoils  above  them,  and  cov- 
ered each  group  with  a  wide  arch  carved  with 
the  new  dog-tooth  molding,  then  superseding 
the  beautiful  Norman  devices  of  an  earlier 
time.  An  opera  glass  makes  it  possible  to 
enjoy  these  charming  details.  The  wide  arch 
has  been  criticised  by  architects  as  "sprawl- 
ing." You  will  find  it  interesting  to  compare 
this  with  a  similar  flattened  arch  in  the  trifo- 
rium at  Salisbury,  and  both  of  these  with  the 
different  form  adopted  at  Westminster  Ab- 
bey and  by  Hugh  of  Lincoln. 

An  extraordinary  feature  of  these  transepts 
is  the  disagreement  between  the  pier  arches 
next  to  the  tower  and  the  triforium  scheme 
above  them.  The  puzzle  is  explained  when 
you  learn  that  the  bays  next  the  tower  on  all 

229 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

four  sides  were  originally  made  narrower 
than  the  others  to  span  the  narrow  aisles  of 
the  old  Norman  nave  and  choir.  The  widen- 
ing of  nave  and  choir  was  done  chiefly  in  the 
aisles,  the  result  being  that  a  transept  pier 
remained  in  the  middle  of  each  aisle.  The 
solution  was  reached  by  what  Willis  calls  "a 
very  remarkable  example  of  the  bold  engi- 
neering work  of  the  JNIiddle  Ages."  The  tri- 
forium  was  propped  up  and  the  pier,  which 
on  the  one  side  had  supported  a  narrow  arch 
next  the  tower,  and  on  its  other  side  a  wide 
arch,  was  removed.  Then  the  two  arches 
changed  places  and  the  pier  was  replaced, 
leaving  the  wide  arch  to  span  the  aisle.  The 
narrow  arch  was  next  blocked  up  to  give  ad- 
ditional strength  to  the  tower,  while  the  old 
triforium  remained  regardless  of  its  relation 
to  the  supports  beneath  it.  The  building  of 
.the  upper  part  of  the  central  tower  in  the 
fifteenth  century  caused  the  four  piers  of  the 
crossing  to  sink  some  eight  inches,  displacing 
the  adjoining  masonry.  It  was  probably  at 
this  time  that  the  four  narrow  arches  were 
blocked  iip. 

King  John  enjoyed  the  revenues  of  the  see 
of   York   for  nine   years   before   Walter   de 

230 


YORK 

Gray,  who  built  the  south  transept,  was  made 
archbishop.  The  dean  and  chapter  had  de- 
cided ujDon  Simon  Langton,  but  John  object- 
ed. Simon's  brother,  Stephen,  and  Runny- 
mede  still  rankled  in  his  memory.  York,  as 
became  her  custom,  enshrined  many  of  her 
builders  amid  their  own  works.  Roger  was 
buried  in  his  Norman  choir,  and  Walter  de 
Gray's  tomb  in  the  south  transept  is  one  of 
the  most  famous  monuments  in  the  Cathedral. 
Strangely  enough  York  never  had  a  local 
saint  of  great  distinction.  Archbishop  Fitz- 
herbert,  whose  relics  produced  much  needed 
revenue  for  many  years,  became  St.  William 
chiefly  through  his  sudden  death  in  1154,  pos- 
sibly due  to  poisoning  from  the  sacred  chalice. 
Edward  I  was  present  at  the  translation  of 
his  relics  to  the  choir,  being  grateful  to  the 
saint  for  preserving  him  from  the  effects  of 
a  fall! 

The  three  Edwards  were  often  in  York  as 
their  armies  ranged  back  and  forth  over  the 
northern  border.  Edward  III  was  married 
to  Philippa  in  the  minster  in  1331,  and  his 
little  son,  William  of  Hatfield,  is  buried  here. 
The  Archbishops  of  York  were  now  and 
again  called  upon  to  take  a  hand  in  military 

231 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

affairs.  Archbishop  Melton  was  beaten  at 
Myton  by  the  Scots  when  they  descended 
upon  York  some  time  after  Bannockburn. 
From  the  number  of  clergy  in  his  ranks  the 
event  was  referred  to  as  the  "Chapter  of  My- 
ton." The  next  archbishop,  La  Zouche,  de- 
feated the  Scots  at  Neville's  Cross  in  1346. 
When  John  of  Thoresby,  who  built  the  new 
choir,  succeeded  him,  he  found  his  people 
suffering  from  Scottish  inroads,  the  black 
death,  and  a  general  state  of  brigandage,  and 
that  the  chief  posts  connected  with  the  Cathe- 
dral, even  that  of  dean,  had  been  filled  by  the 
Pope's  appointees,  Italians  who  were  ab- 
sent much  of  the  time.  For  nine  years  this 
able  archbishop  devoted  himself  to  the  up- 
building of  his  people  and  the  abolishing  of 
ecclesiastical  abuses.  Then  he  began  to  carry 
out  his  cherished  dream  of  a  great  Gothic 
choir  appropriately  completing  the  nave  and 
transepts.  He  sleeps  in  his  own  beautiful 
Lady  Chapel. 

No  less  than  seven  of  York's  archbishops 
were  Lord  Chancellors  of  England.  From 
the  nature  of  things  the  archbishops  were 
frequently  concerned  in  political  controver- 
sies and  sometimes  in  open  rebellion  against 

232 


YORK 

royal  authority.  The  famous  rebellion  of  the 
Percies  in  1405  against  Henry  IV  was  aided 
by  Archbishop  Richard  Scrope,  who  was  cap- 
tured by  the  King's  emissaries  at  his  palace 
of  Bishopthorpe,  two  miles  from  York.  Gas- 
coign,  the  Chief  Justice,  refused  to  try  him, 
and  the  King  had  him  condemned  to  death 
by  a  tool  of  his  own,  not  even  a  judge,  and 
beheaded  near  the  city.  The  people  were  de- 
voted to  the  archbishop,  and  his  tomb  in  the 
minster  became  a  favorite  resort  of  pilgrims. 
At  this  time  the  rebellious  attitude  of  York's 
citizens  led  King  Henry  to  withdraw  the 
liberties  of  their  city  until,  on  their  knees  and 
with  ropes  around  their  necks,  the  authorities 
sued  for  pardon. 

It  was  thirty  years  after  the  transepts  were 
finished  before  the  new  nave  was  begun  under 
Archbishop  John  Romeyn,  and  by  1291 
Early  English  had  passed  into  Decorated 
Gothic.  As  you  compare  the  two  parts  of 
the  church,  you  see  how  the  whole  scheme  of 
things  had  changed.  The  piers  of  the  nave 
are  entirely  different  from  those  of  the  tran- 
sept. Their  capitals  remind  you  of  those  in 
liichfield's  Decorated  nave,  somewhat,  per- 
haps, to  Lichfield's  advantage.    Nevertheless, 

233 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

these  capitals  at  York,  though  rather  small 
for  their  great  shafts,  are  very  finely  carved; 
indeed,  you  must  realize  that  this  whole  nave 
belongs  to  the  most  artistic  period  of  English 
Gothic.  Its  details,  executed  with  the  greatest 
skill  and  delicacy,  can  be  studied  throughout 
with  endless  delight.  High  up  in  the  span- 
drels of  the  pier  arches  the  shields  of  York's 
benefactors  are  carved  in  stone,  and  as  your 
eye  travels  still  higher  you  gradually  become 
aware  that  the  triforium  has  gone  and  that 
the  large  clerestory  windows  have  evidently 
absorbed  it.  Pier  arches  and  clerestory  alone 
have  become  the  chief  features  of  the  nave, 
and  the  triforium  is  merely  a  series  of  panels 
with  openings  at  intervals  over  the  roofs  of 
the  aisles.  From  here  at  one  time  the  patron 
saints  of  the  European  nations  looked  down 
into  the  nave,  but  St.  George  alone  remains. 
York  was  the  first  cathedral  to  treat  the  tri- 
forium in  this  way,  and  by  the  weakening  of 
the  triforium  you  can  see  that  the  horizontal 
lines  of  the  nave  are  no  longer  emphasized  as 
in  the  transepts.  Nor  are  its  vertical  lines 
correspondingly  strengthened.  You  can 
scarcely  escape  the  feeling  that  the  piers  are 
rather  slender  and  the  tall  vaulting  hardly 

234 


YORK 

bold  enough  for  such  an  immense  interior. 
You  recall  how  in  Canterbury's  nave,  built  in 
the  Perpendicular  period  a  hundred  years 
later,  the  shafts  which  lead  the  eye  to  the  roof 
stand  out  boldly,  while  here  they  are  rather 
tamely  placed  flat  against  the  wall.  The 
decorated  period  in  York's  nave  was  plainly 
feeling  its  way  toward  great  window  effects. 
York's  passion  for  great  windows  has  been 
ascribed  to  French  influence,  though  English 
builders  never  attempted  the  tremendous 
heights  of  French  Gothic.  Even  here,  the  ar- 
chitects, having  designed  their  building  on  an 
immense  scale,  feared  to  attempt  a  stone  roof. 
Except  for  the  aisles  the  entire  Cathedral  is 
vaulted  in  wood,  and  so  inevitably  misses  that 
crowning  distinction  of  a  Gothic  building. 
Nor  has  the  Cathedral  escaped  the  penalty  of 
her  lack  of  engineering  skill,  for  the  vault  of 
the  choir  was  burned  in  1829  and  that  of  the 
nave  in  1840. 

The  loveliest  feature  of  York's  nave  is  its 
magnificent  west  window.  Its  only  English 
rival  is  the  Decorated  east  window  at  Carlisle, 
and  with  many  people  York  holds  the  first 
place.  Its  superbly  designed  curvilinear 
tracery,    the    late    stage    of    the    Decorated 

235 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

period,  recalls  the  great  rose  window  at  Lin- 
coln; and  its  glass,  brilliant  and  beautiful, 
glowing  in  a  rich  harmony  of  colors,  awakens 
our  gratitude  to  Archbishop  Melton,  who  in 
1338  enriched  his  Cathedral  with  this  priceless 
memorial  of  the  fourteenth  century.  The 
traceries  of  both  aisle  and  clerestory  windows 
are  of  the  earlier  Geometrical  period,  though 
somewhat  different  in  their  general  scheme. 

Your  first  view  of  the  west  front  of  the 
minster  comes  as  you  emerge  from  the  crowd- 
ed city  streets,  and  you  are  thrilled  at  the  sight 
of  its  noble  fa9ade,  undoubtedly  the  finest  in 
England.  The  central  doorway  is  rarely 
beautiful,  with  double  portals  finely  designed, 
the  gable  above  adorned  with  niches  and  bor- 
dered with  the  ball  flower  ornament  character- 
istic of  the  Decorated  period.  An  arch- 
bishop, possibly  John  Romeyn,  who  began  the 
nave,  stands  in  the  center,  and  on  each  side  of 
the  door  are  statues  of  Percy  and  Vavasour, 
whose  forests  and  quarries  supplied  materials. 
Their  shields  carved  in  stone  you  have  already 
seen  within.  Here  again  is  the  story  of  de- 
veloping Gothic  windows,  Geometrical  below. 
Curvilinear  above,  including  the  marvelous 
tracery  of  the  great  west  window,  and  Per- 

236 


LADY    CHAPEL,    YORK    CATHEDRAL. 


CHAPTER    HOUSE,   YORK   CATHEDRAL. 


YORK 

pcndicular  tracery  in  the  towers  built  a  hun- 
dred years  later.  The  carver's  skill  has  been 
requisitioned  for  this  front  to  cover  almost 
every  inch  of  space.  But  as  you  study  it,  you 
are  slowly  conscious  of  the  same  feeling  that 
impressed  you  in  the  nave,  lack  of  strong, 
bold  effects.  The  gigantic  church  demands  a 
thoroughly  forceful  expression  of  its  charac- 
ter. Great  Peter,  the  third  largest  bell  in 
England,  speaks  sonorously  from  his  north 
tower.  But  the  overdecoration  of  the  upper 
part  of  these  two  towers  has  w-eakened  the  fine 
effect  of  their  imposing  height.  Happily  the 
great  central  tower,  198  feet  high,  is  splendid- 
ly sturdy  by  contrast. 

York's  octagonal  Chapter  House  with  its 
unrivaled  vestibule  is  fully  entitled  to  its 
Latin  inscription,  "Ut  Rosa  flos  florum,  sic 
est  Domus  ista  Domorum."  If  its  one  lack  is 
a  central  pillar,  the  much  cherished  feature  of 
Lincoln,  Lichfield,  and  other  places,  the  carv- 
ing above  its  canopied  seats,  the  remarkable 
richness  and  beauty  of  its  vestibule,  and  above 
all  its  six  superb  old  stained-glass  windows, 
offer  a  charm  not  to  be  found  elsewhere. 
Even  amid  the  gloom  of  a  short  English  day 
the  old  windows  still  glow  with  their  pent-up 

237 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

fire.  That  York  retained  these  priceless  win- 
dows through  the  perils  of  the  Civil  Wars  is 
due  to  the  vigilance  and  enlightened  ideas  of 
Fairfax,  the  noted  Parliamentary  leader,  who 
with  the  Scots  cajDtured  the  city.  A  Presby- 
terian service  was  speedily  established  in  the 
minster,  but  the  fabric  itself  was  protected. 

After  your  visit  to  the  Chapter  House  you 
look  eagerly  for  the  supreme  attraction  of  the 
choir.  Archbishop  John  of  Thoresby,  who 
substituted  this  great  Gothic  choir  for  Roger's 
Norman  building,  laid  the  foundations  east- 
ward in  1361.  The  altar  of  his  Lady  Chapel 
stood  just  beneath  the  east  window  and  the 
tombs  of  some  of  the  earlier  archbishops  were 
placed  here,  but  their  brasses  disappeared  in 
the  Civil  Wars.  This  great  east  end  of  the 
Cathedral  is  as  striking  in  its  Gothic  develop- 
ments as  those  you  have  already  traced  in  the 
transepts  and  nave.  There  the  windows  grew 
from  lancets  to  the  beautiful  curvilinear  ef- 
fects of  the  later  Decorated  period.  Here  in 
the  choir,  where  the  Perpendicular  form  of 
Gothic  prevails,  all  previous  achievements 
have  been  left  far  behind.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  Gloucester,  York's  immense  east  win- 
dow, 78  by  32  feet,  is  the  largest  in  England. 

238 


YORK 

The  narrow  eastern  transepts,  with  their  tall 
windows,  73  feet  high,  do  not  extend  beyond 
the  aisles,  and  so  their  full  effect  is  felt.  Espe- 
cially to  be  noticed  is  the  window  tracery.  The 
Decorated  style  was  passing  into  Perpen- 
dicular when  this  choir  was  built,  and  you  can 
see  that  the  tracery  of  the  aisle  windows  still 
suggests  the  curves  of  the  Decorated  style 
and  has  not  taken  on  all  the  long,  straight 
lines  of  the  Perpendicular  period.  The  latter 
you  can  recognize  easily  in  the  tall  transept 
windows  or  in  those  of  the  clerestory  and 
east  end.  The  stonework  of  these  windows 
was  made  very  delicate  and  inconspicuous, 
that  nothing  might  detract  from  the  superb 
effects  of  the  glass  itself.  Stand  between  the 
two  eastern  transepts  in  front  of  the  high 
altar  and  you  feel  the  splendor  of  this  great 
choir  as  nowhere  else.  Its  vast  roof  rises 
grandly  above  j^ou  to  the  height  of  a  hun- 
dred feet,  while  you  are  conscious  of  being  sur- 
rounded with  wonderful  walls  of  glass  radiat- 
ing their  exquisite  effects  of  light  and  color  on 
every  hand.  This  is  York's  holy  of  holies,  one 
of  England's  greatest  contributions  to  the 
spirit  of  Gothic  art. 


239 


PLA^i  or 

YORK 

CATttLDliAL 


240 


BRIEF    SUMMARY    FOR    THE    TRAVELER 

Cathedral  begun  about  1230.     The  largest  Gothic 

CATHEDRAL      IN      ENGLAND.         It      COVERS      THE      THREE 
CHIEF    PERIODS    OF    ENGLISH    GoTHIC. 

Plan:  Cruciform. 

Norman  Church  (about  1080) 

Early  Norman.  Thomas  of  Bayeux  built  nave  and 
transepts,  possibly  utilizing  old  Saxon  clmrch  for  the 
choir.  The  apse  in  the  crypt  and  the  core  of  the  tower 
piers  are  all  that  remain  of  his  work. 

1154-81 

Later  Norman.  Archbishop  Roger  rebuilt  choir  and 
crypt.     Part  of  the  crypt  alone  remains. 

Transepts  (1230-60) 

Early  English.  Note  the  view  from  the  south  door 
to  the  "Five  Sisters."  Vast  proportions  of  transept, 
223  by  93  feet.  Noble  design  of  the  north  wall;  arcade 
at  the  base^  "Five  Sisters"  above  and  five  graded  lan- 
cets above  these,  effective  use  of  Purbeck  marble.  Piers 
Early  English.  One  Decorated  pier  in  north  transept. 
Aisles  on  both  east  and  west  sides  an  unusual  feature. 

The  Five  Sisters:  Each  window  53  feet  high,  thir- 
teen compartments.  Note  in  central  compartment  at  the 
bottom  a  Norman  window  3  feet  3  inches  wide,  pos- 
sibly taken  from  the  earlier  Norman  church. 

Triforiums  excessively  prominent.  Notice  contrasts 
of   stone,   rich   carving,   and   plate   tracery.      Small   but 

241 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

very  graceful  clerestory,  in  striking  contrast  to  clere- 
story in  other  jDarts  of  the  Cathedral.     Roof,  wooden. 

Notice  the  disagreement  between  triforium  and  the 
pier  arches  below  it  in  bays  next  the  central  tower,  due 
to  rebuilding  of  nave  and  settling  of  central  tower. 
Carving  of  details  very  fine. 

Exterior:  North  front,  fine  simple  effect  of  the  lan- 
cet windows.  South  front,  more  decorative  and  impos- 
ing but  less  successful  in  design. 

Nave  (1291-1324) 

Decorated  Gothic.  Immensity  of  proportions.  Vaulted 
in  wood.  Piers  of  slender  shafts,  without  encircling 
bands.  Capitals  rather  small  for  size  of  shafts,  but 
beautifully  carved  with  Decorated  foliage.  Whole  nave 
very  artistic  in  all  its  details,  best  period  of  Gothic. 
Shields  of  benefactors  in  spandrels  of  pier  arches. 

Triforium  practically  absorbed  by  clerestory  and  be- 
comes a  series  of  panels  with  openings  into  the  tri- 
forium chamber.  Clerestory  windows  very  large,  with 
beautiful  Geometrical  tracery,  slightly  different  from 
aisle  windows,  also  of  Geometrical  style.  Magnificent 
west  window,  56  by  25  feet,  of  Late  Decorated  or  Curvi- 
linear tracery,  1338  its  only  rival  Carlisle's  east  win- 
dow.    It  retains  nearly  all  of  its  origitial  glass. 

Exterior:  North  side  simpler  and  beautiful.  On  the 
south  side  notice  heavy  pinnacles  and  indications  of  once 
intended  flying  buttresses ;  all  preparations  for  a  stone- 
vaulted  roof,  never  built. 

Vestibule  and  Chapter  House  (1286-94) 

Decorated  Gothic.  Vestibule  opens  from  north  tran- 
sept.    The  break  between  Early  English  and  the  Dec- 

242 


YORK 

orated  style  can  be  seen  just  within.  Traces  of  old 
paintings  on  roof  and  walls,  windows  filled  with  their 
superb  original  glass.    Arcade  of  blind  tracery,  very  fine. 

Chapter  House  door  beautiful  design.  Windows  with 
elegant  tracery  of  Geometrical  period,  arches  very  acute. 
Arcade  below  famous  for  its  richness  and  the  exceeding 
beauty  of  its  carving.  Purbeck  marble  here,  unusual 
after  Early  English  time.  Six  of  the  magnificent  orig- 
inal windows  remain. 

Exterior:  Flying  buttresses  and  pinnacles,  but  no 
stone  vault. 

Choir  (1361-1405) 

Perpendicular:  Notice  rood  screen,  fine  example 
of  latest  Gothic  period,  end  of  15th  century.  Choir  the 
largest  and  highest  in  an  English  cathedral,  99  feet 
wide  and  100  feet  high. 

Peculiar  triforium:  In  bays  east  of  transepts  similar 
to  nave.  In  bays  west  of  transepts  clerestory  windows 
set  back  and  triforium  passage  runs  in  front  of  them. 
Notice  the  vaulting  shafts  which  rise  from  the  floor. 
The  outer  shaft  runs  above  the  point  where  the  ribs 
begin  to  separate,  a  characteristic  of  Perpendicular  style, 
which  gives  less  prominence  to  capitals. 

Vault,  stalls  and  altar  screen  renewed  since  fire  of 
1829.  Notice  chair  of  archbishop  beside  the  high  al- 
tar. Notice  windows  of  aisles,  tracery  is  transitional, 
not  the  Curvilinear,  nor  yet  the  fully  developed  Per- 
pendicular. Clerestory  windows  and  great  east  win- 
dow Perpendicular  tracery.  The  latter,  78  by  32,  the 
largest  in  England  except  Gloucester.  Windows  of 
eastern  transepts  73   feet  higli. 

243 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

West  Front  (1338) 

Decorated  Gothic:  Fine  central  doorway  with  double 
portals  and  ball  flower  on  gable  above.  Archbishop 
Romeyn  or  Melton  above.  Percy  and  Vavasour  on  sides. 
England's  finest  facade,  but  lacking  strength. 

Central  Tower  (1400-23) 

Perpendicular:  Two  windows  on  each  side,  with  ogee 
gables  and  canopied  niches  between.  Tower  crowned 
with  a  battlement.  Corner  buttresses  broken  by  string 
courses  and  gargoyles.  One  of  the  finest  towers  in  Eu- 
rope, 198  feet  high.  Square  rather  than  tall,  but  very 
restrained  and  impressive.  Compare  with  Canterbury 
and  Lincoln. 

West  Towers  (1433-74) 

Perpendicular.  Towers  201  feet  high,  with  Geometri- 
cal Decorated  tracery  in  the  west  windows  of  the  aisles. 
Curvilinear  Decorated  above  them,  including  great  west 
window  and  perpendicular  windows  in  upper  part,  a 
hundred  years  later.  Upper  part  of  towers  overdeco- 
rated,  detracting  from  their  bold  effect. 


244 


lopic  &  Photographic  Co..  Ltd. 
NAVE   OF   WESTMINSTER    ABBEY,    LOOKING    EAST, 
SHOWING    CHOIR    AND    SCREEN. 


CHAPTER    X 

WESTMINSTER    ABBEY 

AS  yoii  stand  in  front  of  the  Houses  of 
Parliament  at  Westminster,  built  upon 
the  site  of  Edward  the  Confessor's  pal- 
ace, and  look  across  "Old  Palace  Yard"  to 
the  venerable  Abbey,  it  is  hard  to  realize  that 
both  palace  and  Abbey  once  stood  upon  an 
island,  in  those  distant  daj^s  a  marshy  jungle, 
known  as  the  Isle  of  Thorns. 

The  early  history  of  the  Abbey,  like  the 
soil  upon  which  it  was  built,  lacks  something 
of  solid  substance.  Its  legal  name  to-day, 
"The  Collegiate  Church  of  St.  Peter,"  points 
to  a  definite  connection  with  the  great  apostle, 
and  out  of  the  misty  past  various  traditions 
emerge.  A  tomb  is  shown  in  the  Abbey  as 
that  of  Sebert,  King  of  the  East  Saxons,  who 
in  the  seventli  century,  after  lielping  Ethel- 
bert  of  Kent  to  found  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
betook  himself  to  the  west  of  the  city  and 

245 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

offset  his  attention  to  St.  Paul  by  a  mon- 
astery to  St.  Peter,  the  West  Minster  or  mon- 
astery. A  favorite  legend  relating  to  Se- 
bert's  time,  which,  however,  took  shape  much 
later,  bears  directly  upon  the  future  of  the 
Abbey.  A  stranger  in  foreign  attire  ap- 
peared one  evening  on  the  river  bank  near 
Lambeth,  and  inducing  a  fisherman  to  row 
him  over  to  the  island,  proceeded  to  Sebert's 
church,  which  was  to  be  dedicated  the  next 
day.  Suddenly  the  air  was  filled  with  angels, 
who,  with  incense  and  flaming  candles  and 
due  deference  to  the  mysterious  one,  took 
part  in  the  dedication  of  the  sanctuary.  On 
departing  the  stranger  instructed  the  amazed 
fisherman  to  report  to  the  Bishop  of  London 
on  the  morrow  that  "I,  St.  Peter,  have  con- 
secrated my  own  church  of  St.  Peter,  West- 
minster !"  This  legend  was  perhaps  the  earli- 
est assertion  of  two  important  claims  of 
Westminster  Abbey,  held  tenaciously  ever 
since:  an  equal  antiquity  with  the  Cathedral 
of  St.  Paul,  and  independence  of  all  ecclesias- 
tical jurisdiction  except  that  of  St.  Peter. 

With  Edward  the  Confessor  the  authentic 
history  of  the  Abbey  begins.  Long  an  exile 
in  Normandy,  he  had  vowed  a  pilgrimage  to 

246 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

St.  Peter's  grave  at  Rome  should  the  apostle 
restore  him  to  his  English  inheritance.  The 
departure  of  the  Danes  and  his  election  as 
King  followed;  but  his  subjects  strenuously 
objected  to  the  Roman  journey,  and  the 
Pope's  release  from  his  vow  was  contingent 
on  the  establishment  of  a  monastery  to  St. 
Peter  under  royal  protection.  What  spot 
more  suitable  than  the  island  shrine  already 
consecrated  by  the  apostle  himself,  and  at  that 
time  occupied  by  a  group  of  Benedictines 
placed  there  by  St.  Dunstan?  Here  then  in 
1050  the  West  Minster  was  begun  on  a  mag- 
nificent scale,  the  first  of  that  long  succession 
of  stately  churches  which  England  owed  to 
Norman  civilization.  At  the  same  time  the 
Confessor's  palace  rose  on  the  river  bank,  close 
to  the  great  church  destined  for  his  mauso- 
leum. 

Fifteen  years  passed  and  at  Christmastide 
all  was  readj^  when  the  King's  sudden  and 
mortal  illness  permitted  him  only  to  sign  the 
Charter  of  the  Foundation,  while  the  Queen 
and  her  brothers  and  the  rival  archbishops  of 
Canterbiuy  and  York  consecrated  the  church. 
On  the  fifth  of  January  the  Confessor  died, 
and  amid  the  sad  forebodings  of  his  people 

247 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

was  buried  before  the  high  altar.  The  im- 
mediate coronation  of  Harold  followed,  but 
as  to  where  it  took  place  the  chroniclers  are 
silent.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  in  the 
Abbey. 

One  year  later,  on  Christmas  Day,  1066, 
came  the  Norman  Conqueror  to  be  crowned 
beside  the  tomb  of  the  last  hereditary  Saxon 
King,  from  whom  he  claimed  the  right  to  pre- 
sent himself  for  election.  The  Abbey  was 
making  history  fast.  Two  nations  stood 
within  its  walls.  Saxon  and  Norman  crowded 
in,  while  the  Norman  soldiers  on  their  great 
war  horses  stood  guard  without.  Stigand  of 
Canterbury,  who  had  consecrated  the  build- 
ing, had  fled  to  Scotland,  but  Aldred,  Arch- 
bishop of  York,  was  on  hand  to  anoint  the 
new  sovereign  and  place  the  Confessor's 
crown  upon  his  head.  The  ancient  Saxon 
form  of  popular  election  was  propounded  in 
French  by  a  Norman  bishop  and  in  English 
by  the  Archbishop  of  York,  but  the  confusion 
of  tongues  resulting  from  the  customary  ac- 
clamation of  the  sovereign  so  alarmed  the 
Norman  soldiery  outside  that  they  set  fire  to 
the  gates  of  the  Abbey  and  a  stampede  en- 
sued.   The  Conqueror  is  said  to  have  trembled 

248 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

for  the  first  time  in  his  life  as  he  stood  in  the 
gloom  of  the  great  church  and  heard  the  cries 
of  his  people  without,  while  Archbishop  Al- 
dred  refused  to  crown  him  imtil  he  had  sworn 
to  protect  his  Saxon  subjects. 

William's  coronation  established  certain 
privileges  which  became  the  established  law 
of  later  years.  The  Abbot  of  Westminster 
was  to  prepare  each  sovereign  in  advance  for 
coronation,  and  for  tlie  holy  anointing.  These 
duties  descended  after  the  Reformation  to  the 
Protestant  Dean.  The  Dean  and  Canons 
of  Westminster  at  coronation  take  precedence 
over  the  Bishops,  and  only  on  this  occasion 
do  even  the  Archbishops  of  Canterbury  and 
York  take  their  places  as  by  right  in  the  choir 
of  the  Abbey.  The  right  of  crowning  and 
anointing  the  sovereign  belongs  to  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  and  in  his  absence  to  the 
Bishop  of  London,  the  privilege  of  cro^^^ling 
the  Consort  being  held  by  the  Archbishop  of 
York. 

The  Abbey  is  unique  in  that  for  nine  cen- 
turies it  has  been  the  solemn  witness  of  the 
long  procession  of  tlie  nation's  rulers  coming 
up  in  state  to  be  crowned,  and,  after  their 
share  in  the  making  of  history,  returning  for 

249 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

burial.  No  other  building  in  the  world  can 
show  such  a  record. 

Edward's  church  stood  intact  for  nearly 
two  hundred  years,  while  the  conquering  Nor- 
mans and  the  early  Plantagenets  slowly 
learned  the  temper  of  the  people  they  were 
ruling.  But  with  Henry  III  the  Abbey  felt 
the  stir  of  a  new  era.  He,  the  first  of  the 
Plantagenets  to  be  born  in  England,  made 
Westminster  his  chief  residence.  His  sons 
Edward  and  Edmund  bore  the  names  of  fa- 
mous Saxon  saints,  but  his  French  connection 
had  been  early  established  by  his  marriage,  in 
the  Abbey,  with  Eleanor  of  Provence,  and  in- 
fluenced by  the  crusade  in  favor  of  Virgin 
worship  which  swept  over  Europe  under  St. 
Bernard,  he  erected  in  1220  a  chapel  to  "Our 
Lady,"  adjoining  on  the  east  the  Confessor's 
tomb.  But  his  architectural  enthusiasm  went 
further,  and  it  is  to  him  that  we  owe  the  beau- 
tiful Abbey  as  we  see  it  to-day.  Strongly 
religious  and  not  perceiving  the  new  signs  of 
the  times,  he  sapped  the  resources  of  his  king- 
dom so  unsparingly  that  the  growing  strength 
of  Parliament  had  t^  be  reckoned  with  under 
succeeding  sovereigns. 

The  thirteenth  century  was  a  period  of 
250 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

great  artistic  activity.  The  newly  awakened 
spirit  of  freedom  found  its  natural  expression 
in  the  aspiring  lines  of  Gothic  architecture, 
and  kindled  the  imagination  of  European 
builders.  Henry  shared  their  enthusiasm  and 
in  1245  began  the  new  Abbey.  English 
Gothic  in  great  measure,  it  possesses  also 
some  very  striking  French  characteristics. 
The  King  lived  to  complete  only  the  eastern 
end  of  his  new  church,  with  five  bays  of  the 
nave  and  the  Chapter  House,  and  it  was 
nearly  two  hundred  years  before  the  old  Nor- 
man nave  entirely  disappeared.  Strange  in- 
deed the  building  must  have  looked,  with  its 
towering  Gothic  at  one  end  and  heavy  Nor- 
man masonry  at  the  otlier.  Fortunately,  when 
the  nave  w^as  completed  the  earlier  style  was 
copied,  so  that  the  harmony  of  the  interior  is 
unbroken. 

Approaching  the  east  end  of  the  Abbey 
from  the  Old  Palace  Yard,  the  one  striking 
contrast  in  its  exterior  is  very  apparent. 
Henry  Ill's  Lady  Chapel  has  gone.  It  was 
pulled  down  in  later  times  to  make  way  for 
that  of  Henry  VII,  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
buildings  of  the  Tudor  or  late  Perpendicular 
style  in  England.     You  instinctively  turn  to 

251 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

compare  it  with  the  Parliament  buildings  op- 
posite, erected  three  hundred  years  later  but 
in  the  spirit  of  the  Tudor  Gothic.  The  paneled 
stonework  extending  all  around  the  lower 
half  of  the  chapel  is  very  characteristic,  and 
the  emphasis  upon  perjDendicular  lines  even 
in  the  stone  tracery  of  the  windows  justifies 
the  name  of  Perpendicular  which  is  also 
given  to  this  late  Gothic.  A  sumptuous  effect 
is  produced  by  the  upper  carvings  upon  the 
canopied  pinnacles  and  even  in  the  flying  but- 
tresses. The  contrast  between  the  adjoining 
part  of  the  Abbey  and  this  highly  elaborated 
chapel  is  that  between  Gothic  in  the  simplicity 
of  its  first  lofty  beginnings  and  Gothic  in  the 
overexuberance  of  its  declining  years,  yet 
each  has  its  own  distinct  charm.  Passing 
around  the  east  end,  you  reach  the  great  en- 
trance at  the  end  of  the  north  transept.  The 
tooth  of  time  and  the  hand  of  the  restorer 
have  destroyed  many  of  its  ancient  details, 
but  the  triple  doorway,  a  noteworthy  feature 
of  Henry's  church,  .is  presumably  an  imita- 
tion of  the  splendid  portals  so  common  in 
France,  possibly  of  that  at  Amiens.  The 
scarcely  perceptible  beginnings  of  a  central, 
tower   render   it   uncertain   whether   a   taller 

252 


/ 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

structure  was  ever  intended,  and  the  upper 
part  of  the  two  western  towers,  designed  by 
Christopher  Wren  but  not  finished  till  after 
his  death,  make  you  wish  that  Sir  Christopher 
had  had  greater  sympathy  with  the  Gothic 
spirit. 

You  enter  the  Abbey  by  the  west  door, 
and  the  splendor  of  the  noble  church  sur- 
rounds you.  The  towering  arches  of  the  nave 
carry  the  vaulted  ceiling  up  more  than  a 
hundred  feet,  the  highest  in  England,  a  touch 
of  the  French  influence.  The  warm  brown 
tone  of  the  interior  is  very  different  from  the 
rose  tint  of  Lichfield  or  the  soft  gray  of  Can- 
terbury. Magnificent  clustered  columns  of 
brown  Purbeck  marble  rise  to  a  great  height, 
and  the  stonework  which  they  support,  lighter 
in  color  but  shaded  perhaps  by  London  smoke, 
is  wonderfully  harmonious.  The  triforium  is 
one  of  the  most  exquisite  features  of  the 
church.  Your  eye  travels  down  the  long  per- 
spective of  graceful  Gothic  arches,  with  their 
lovely  trefoiled  heads,  and  you  notice  as  you 
examine  them  closely  that  in  the  older  part  of 
the  church  toward  the  east  the  capitals  of 
their  slender  columns  are  carved  and  below 
the  triforium  the  spaces  above  the  great  arches 

253 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

of  the  transepts  have  been  enriched  by  a  deli- 
cately wrought  diaper  pattern. 

You  observe  also  that  double  lancet  win- 
dows with  a  circle  above  predominate  in  the 
choir  and  transepts,  while  in  the  later  work  of 
the  nave  a  trefoiled  form  takes  their  place 
but  without  disturbing  the  harmony  of  the 
whole.  Westminster,  you  remember,  was  be- 
gun a  little  later  than  Salisbury.  It  has  no 
single  lancet  windows  but  a  very  early  com- 
bination of  lancet  and  circle.  It  was  so  much 
influenced  by  French  architecture  that  the 
window  designs  have  been  traced  to  France. 
Yet  at  this  time  English  Gothic  also  had 
reached  its  Early  Decorated  stage,  as  we  have 
seen  at  Lincoln,  and  the  geometrical  style  of 
window  was  its  chief  characteristic.  In  both 
countries  the  traceries  at  this  period  were  very 
similar.  The  walls  of  the  church  on  every  side 
are  crowded  with  monuments,  but  between  and 
around  them  you  will  see  that  here  also  a 
charming  feature  of  the  original  design  was 
the  beautiful  wall  arcading,  decorated  at  inter- 
vals with  shields  of  early  noblemen.  In  the 
north  aisle  of  the  nave  the  arcading  is  nearly 
all  intact,  and  among  other  devices  you  can 
detect  the  lilies  of  France   and  the  double- 

254 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

tailed  lion  of  the  great   founder  of   Parlia- 
ments, Simon  de  Montfort. 

Before  studying  the  church  in  detail  we 
step  through  a  door  in  the  south  aisle  and 
stroll  around  the  old  cloister.  This  south  side 
of  the  church  as  it  appears  from  the  cloisters 
is  most  interesting.  Its  four  tiers  of  windows 
in  the  end  of  the  transept  and  the  immense 
flying  buttresses  rising  one  above  another  are 
magnificent  features  of  the  design.  Through 
the  west  door  a  passage  leads  to  the  Abbot's 
courtyard  and  thence  to  the  famous  Jerusalem 
Chamber.  Henry  IV  died  in  this  room  on  the 
eve  of  his  starting  for  the  Holy  Land.  The 
Westminster  Catechism  and  Confession  were 
framed  here  in  1643,  and  probably  part  of  the 
work  of  the  King  James  version  was  here  ac- 
complished in  1611.  In  modern  times  the  re- 
visers of  the  Bible  held  their  sessions  around 
the  long  table.  Returning  to  the  cloisters,  you 
glance  down  a  low  arched  passage  near  which 
stood  the  old  infirmary.  In  its  twelfth-cen- 
tury chapel,  now  gone,  occurred  the  notorious 
quarrel  between  Richard  of  Canterbury  and 
Roger  of  York,  which  resulted  in  their  respec- 
tive titles  of  "Primate  of  All  England"  and 
"Primate  of  England."     But  a  far  more  in- 

255 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

teresting  building,  happily  still  preserved  to 
us,  is  the  "incomparable  Chapter  House" 
opening  out  of  the  east  cloister,  through  what 
was  once  a  beautiful  Early  English  porch,  re- 
calling that  of  Ely  but  sadly  blackened  and 
crumbling  with  age.  In  this  historic  Chapter 
House,  from  the  time  of  Edward  I,  the  House 
of  Commons  met  for  three  hundred  years, 
with  occasional  sessions  in  the  neighboring  re- 
fectory. You  observe  how  the  great  windows 
almost  completely  fill  the  walls,  a  very  early 
illustration  of  pure  Gothic,  where  the  "solids" 
are  exceeded  by  the  "voids,"  and  the  skillfully 
poised  stone  framework  is  held  aloft  by  flying 
buttresses.  Henry  III,  quite  probably, 
copied  these  windows  from  Louis  IX's  beau- 
tiful Sainte  Chapelle  in  Paris,  finished  only  a 
few  years  before. 

Passing  into  the  Abbey,  a  glance  at  its 
ground  plan  makes  cjear  the  arrangement  of 
the  east  end.  The  choir  stalls  are  in  the  nave, 
the  chancel  being  too  restricted  for  them.  Be- 
hind the  high  altar  is  the  Confessor's  Chapel, 
and  radiating  from  it  polygonal  chapels  fitted 
around  a  polygonal  aisle  after  the  French 
fashion.    Henry  VII's  Chapel  is  just  beyond. 

The  architectural  beauty  of  the  interior  of 
256 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

Westminster  Abbey  is  often  lost  sight  of  in 
the  profound  impression  made  by  its  historical 
associations,  but  if  all  these  were  absent  the 
church  would  still  be  the  most  superb  Gothic 
structure  in  England.  Notice  the  great  size 
of  the  clerestory  windows,  leaving  very  little 
wall  space  for  the  roof  to  rest  on.  Then  re- 
call the  mighty  flying  buttresses  on  the  out- 
side and  you  realize  that  in  a  true  Gothic 
church  the  thickness  of  the  wall  becomes  a 
comparatively  small  matter.  Look  up  through 
one  of  the  long  aisles  of  the  nave  and  see  how 
a  distant  window  in  the  apse  has  been  placed 
so  as  to  give  a  touch  of  light  and  color  at  the 
end  of  the  vista,  an  illustration  of  careful  de- 
sign. As  you  walk  through  the  transepts  and 
ambulatory,  turn  away  occasionally  from  near- 
by objects  and  enjoy  the  many  lovely  views 
of  the  building  itself.  In  the  end  of  the 
north  transept,  just  above  the  triforium 
arches,  the  beautiful  "censing  angels"  are  per- 
haps the  finest  remaining  sculptures  of  the 
early  builders,  and  the  end  walls  of  both  tran- 
septs show  many  charming  details.  Gold  and 
color  decoration  were  doubtless  used  very 
freely  in  Plenry  Ill's  time.  There  are  traces 
of  it  on  the  sculptured  angels  of  the  south 

257 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

transept;  the  diaper  work  of  the  triforium 
was  quite  possibly  gilt  on  a  red  background. 
It  is  probable  also  that  the  wall  arcading  was 
decorated  in  gold  and  color.  But  over  and 
above  all  the  lesser  glories  of  the  church  is  the 
nobility  of  its  design,  majestic  in  outline, 
graceful  and  harmonious  in  every  line,  the 
comparative  narrowness  of  the  nave  empha- 
sizing its  vast  length  and  splendid  height. 

As  you  look  across  the  chancel  to  the  high 
altar,  you  realize  that  on  the  mosaic  pave- 
ment in  front  of  you  has  been  crowned  every 
English  sovereign  since  Edward  I.^  The  last 
year  of  Edward's  reign  saw  the  long-coveted 
Stone  of  Scone  reft  from  Scotland.  What- 
ever its  legendary  wanderings  may  have  been, 
involving  Jacob  at  Bethel,  the  hill  of  Tara  in 
Ireland,  and  other  sacred  spots,  it  finally 
rested  in  the  Abbey  of  Scone,  where  Edward 
himself  was  crowned  King  of  the  Scots.  In 
the  Coronation  Chair  the  Abbey  secured  what 
it  had  hitherto  lacked,  a  chair  of  authority, 
and  as  befitted  the  national  church,  a  chair 
dedicated  to  the  sovereigns  of  Great  Britain. 


'  The  earlier  kings,  from  William  the  Conqueror  to  Henry 
III,  were  crowned  on  the  same  spot,  but  in  the  Norman 
church. 

258 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

A  flight  of  steps  leads  to  the  Confessor's 
Chapel,  for  Henry  III  raised  a  great  funeral 
mound  between  the  high  altar  and  his  Lady 
Chapel,  when  he  erected  the  magnificent 
shrine  for  the  bones  of  the  Saint.  Back  of  the 
altar  is  the  Coronation  Chair,  and  close  by 
the  massive  unadorned  tomb  of  Edward  I,  ad- 
joining that  of  the  xVbbey's  second  founder. 
Beyond  Henry  III  lies  Eleanor,  Edward's 
beloved  Queen,  her  last  journey  to  the  Abbey 
marked  by  memorial  crosses;  and  across  from 
Eleanor,  Queen  Philippa,  with  Edward  III, 
whose  sword  and  shield,  carried  in  the  French 
wars,  stand  beside  the  Coronation  Chair. 
Richard  II  and  his  Queen  complete  the  circle. 
At  the  coronation  of  Richard  II,  son  of  the 
Black  Prince  and  last  of  the  Plantagenets,  the 
newly  created  order  of  Knights  of  the  Bath 
first  appears  as  the  Sovereign's  escort.  The 
Confessor's  tomb  is  thus  encircled  by  the 
proud  rulers  under  whom  national  life  slowly 
awakened  and  Parliaments  began  to  feel  their 
power.  The  tomb  of  Henry  V,  greatest  of 
the  Lancastrians,  with  its  overhead  chantry, 
appropriately  bridges  the  gap  between  Plan- 
tagenet  and  Tudor.  His  share  in  the  Abbey 
was  the  completion  of  the  larger  part  of  the 

259 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

nave,  which  echoed  to  the  Te  Deum  sung  for 
the  victory  of  Agincourt.  His  funeral  was 
most  imposing.  A  hundred  torches  carried  by 
men  in  white  robes  escorted  the  car,  the  clergy 
singing  dirges  as  they  marched,  his  banners 
being  borne  by  the  great  nobles,  and  his  three 
chargers  led  up  through  the  nave.  "Hung  be 
the  Heavens  with  Black"  expressed  the 
mourning  for  his  untimely  death.  The  effigy 
on  his  tomb,  with  its  head  of  solid  silver,  was 
marred  in  Henry  VIII's  reign  and  the  head 
stolen,  occasioning  Roger  de  Coverley's  fa- 
mous remark,  "You  ought  to  lock  up  your 
Kings  better."  Above  the  tomb  hang  the 
helmet,  shield  and  saddle  presumably  used  at 
Agincourt.  The  chantry  chapel  overhead 
holds  the  dust  of  his  Queen,  Katherine,  ances- 
tress of  the  Tudors. 

In  the  splendid  mausoleum  just  beyond, 
Henry  VII  proposed  to  commemorate  his 
half-uncle,  Henry  VI,  whose  mortal  remains 
had  already  become  prolific  in  miracles,  but 
by  the  irony  of  fate  Henry  VI  remained  at 
Windsor.  The  house  of  York,  whose  strug- 
gles with  Lancaster  paved  the  way  for  the 
Tudor  absolutism,  has  no  royal  representa- 
tives in  the  Abbey,  save  the  pitiful  Edward  V, 

260 


HENRY    VirS    CHAPEL  — STALLS   OF    KNIGHTS    OF   THE    BATH 


Valentine  &  .Sons,  Ltd.,  IJundte. 

TOMB    OF    HENRY    VII— EDWARD    VI    BENEATH    ALTAR,    RECUMBENT 
FIGURE   OF    DEAN    STANLEY    IN   CHAPEL   ON    RIGHT. 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

England's  one  uncrowned  king,  and  his  sister 
Elizabeth,  whose  marriage  with  Henry  VII 
forever  silenced  the  strife  of  the  Roses. 

In  the  new  chapel,  deftly  carved  in  the 
woodwork,  portrayed  in  the  windows  or  in 
the  superb  bronze  doors,  you  notice  the  port- 
cullis of  Henry's  Beaufort  mother,  the  roses^ 
of  York  and  Lancaster,  the  crown  on  the 
bush  recalling  Bosworth  Field,  and,  a  final 
touch  of  security  for  this  new  Welsh  dynasty, 
the  dragon  of  the  great  Pendragonship  of 
Wales.  Stalls  of  Knights  of  the  Bath  with 
floating  banners  still  line  the  walls.  Within  a 
finely  wrought  bronze  screen  is  the  tomb  of 
black  marble,  with  elegantly  molded  bronze 
effigies  of  Henry  and  his  Queen,  the  work  of 
Michael  Angelo's  belligerent  rival,  Torre- 
giano.  Overhead  is  the  marvelous  fan-vaulted 
ceiling,  achieved,  as  Washington  Irving  said, 
"with  the  airy  security  of  a  cobweb."  The 
King's    fear    of    death    meant    masses    for 

*  The  rose  is  prominent  in  the  decorations  of  the  whole 
church.  It  was  the  badge  of  Henry  Ill's  Queen,  Eleanor  of 
Provence,  long  before  York  and  Lancaster  adopted  it.  It 
appears  in  the  inside  arches  of  the  north  door,  on  the  ex- 
.  terior  of  the  eastern  doorway  leading  into  the  cloister,  in  some 
of  the  bosses  of  the  ambulatory,  and  elsewhere.  Lethaby  notes 
the  fact  that  it  was  used  at  Amiens  in  France,  and  was  evi- 
dently  the  fashionable   flower  of  the  period. 

261 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

his  soul,  priests  specially  maintained,  and 
gorgeous  apparel  for  altars  and  images.  He 
was  the  last  of  England's  medieval  Kings. 
Did  any  hint  of  the  future  reveal  to  him  that 
his  son  would  sweep  away  all  of  these? 

What  historic  scenes  arise  as  you  walk 
through  this  imposing  sepulcher:  the  splendor 
of  Henry  VIII's  coronation,  the  clash  with 
Rome,  the  tragic  coronation  of  Anne  Boleyn, 
so  vividly  portraj^ed  by  Froude,  then  the  scat- 
tering of  the  monks  and  the  seizure  of  relics 
and  treasure;  the  zeal  of  Edward  VI  in  fur- 
ther removing  the  reminders  of  Rome,  the 
dangers  to  the  venerated  Abbey  itself  when 
Edward's  grasping  "Protector"  Somerset  had 
to  be  bought  off  with  twenty  tons  of  Caen 
stone  for  his  building  projects,  then  the  death 
of  P^dward  and  his  biu'ial  beneath  Henry 
VII's  altar,  Cranmer  sadly  reading  the  funer- 
al service  of  the  "Reformed  Church  of  Eng- 
land" over  the  youth  whom  he  had  baptized. 
The  scene  changes — INIary  is  crowned,  not  on 
the  Stone  of  Scone,  but  in  a  chair  sent  by  the 
Pope,  and  soon  the  arches  of  the  Abbey  re- 
sound with  the  mass  sung  before  Philip  and 
Mary  welcoming  the  Cardinal  sent  to  effect 
the  reconciliation  of  the  Church  of  England 

262 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

with  the  Church  of  Rome.  Five  years  more 
and  Mary  is  gone,  her  grave  in  the  Tudor 
Chapel  remaining  unmarked  for  nearly  half 
a  century,  buried  under  fragments  of  broken 
altars.  The  coronation  mass  sung  for  Eliza- 
beth is  partly  in  English  and  partly  in  Latin, 
foreshadowing  the  day  dreamed  of  by  Eras- 
mus, when  the  Bible  in  the  common  tongue 
should  be  sung  by  the  husbandman  at  the  plow 
and  by  the  weaver  to  the  time  of  his  shuttle. 
Tudor  attempts  to  make  the  Abbey  a  cathe- 
dral ^  and  later  a  monastery  are  set  aside  by 
Elizabeth  and  it  becomes  "The  Collegiate 
Church  of  St.  Peter  in  Westminster,"  still 
under  the  spiritual  guardianship  of  the  saint, 
but  as  interpreted  by  the  English  and  not  by 
the  papal  throne.  The  great  events  of  the 
Elizabethan  century  come  and  go,  and  at  last 
Elizabeth  herself  sleeps  in  the  Abbey.^     The 

^  Henry  VIII  dissolved  the  monastery  in  1539,  established 
a  dean  and  twelve  prebendaries,  and  founded  the  Westminster 
School.  He  created  a  Diocese  of  Westminster  with  the  Abbey 
as  its  cathedral.  Edward  VI  changed  it  to  a  "Cathedral  in 
the  diocese  of  London."  Queen  Mary  abolished  the  cathedral, 
restored  the  monastery,  and  ajipointed  an  abbot,  but  Elizabeth, 
who  endowed  the  Westminster  School,  set  aside  the  abbot,  re- 
established the  dean  and  canons,  and  gave  the  church  its  pres- 
ent title  in  1560.  It  is  "extra  diocesan"  in  character,  not  sub- 
ject to  any  bishop. 

^  For  many  years  effigies  of  the  sovereigns  were  borne  in 
advance  of  the  funeral  procession  and  remained  on  the  tomb 

263 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

inscription  on  her  monument  erected  by 
James  I  reverently  closes  the  checkered  rec- 
ord of  the  Tudors:  "Consorts  in  throne  and 
grave,  here  we  sisters  Eilizabeth  and  Mary 
sleep  in  hope  of  the  resurrection."  On  the 
opposite  side  of  the  Chapel  rest  two  other 
women  of  distinction,  Margaret  Beaufort, 
mother  of  Henry  VII,  the  friend  and  pro- 
tector of  Caxton ;  and,  under  a  canopy  erected 
by  her  son,  Mary  Queen  of  Scots.  The  south 
chapel  shelters  nearly  all  of  the  Stuart  dy- 
nasty, and  though  numerous  monuments  to 
persons  of  lesser  distinction  fill  the  adjoining 
chapels,  it  is  noteworthy  that  the  tombs  of 
Stuart  sovereigns  are  indicated  merely  by 
their  names.  The  Cromwell  vault  was  rifled 
under  Charles  II,  his  body  with  those  of  Ire- 
ton  and  Bradshaw  hanged  at  Tyburn  and  the 
heads  placed  on  the  pinnacles  of  Westminster 
Hall.  "I  war  not  with  the  dead"  could  not 
be  said  of  Charles.  The  last  rulers  to  be 
buried  in  the  Abbey  were  George  II  and 
Queen  Caroline.  Since  then  Windsor  has  as- 
serted its  claim. 


for  some  time  afterwards.  The  heads  were  at  first  of  wood 
but  later  made  of  wax  modeled  from  the  death  mask.  A  re- 
markable collection  of  these  efBgies  is  preserved  in  the  Abbey; 
that  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  restored  in  1760,  is  thought  to  be  a 
striking  likeness. 

264 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

Leaving  the  royal  chapels  behind  you,  the 
divine  right  of  Kings  seems  less  insistent  as 
you  note  the  Abbey's  regard  for  its  un- 
crowned dead.  If  it  is  the  national  church  in 
its  relation  to  royalty,  it  is  equally  so  in  its 
recognition  of  the  sovereign  people.  The 
Poets'  Corner  is  no  longer  a  corner  but  the 
entire  south  transept.  Chaucer  was  happily 
destined  to  consecrate  the  spot,  for  his  last 
home,  where  he  wrote  the  "Canterbury  Tales," 
was  in  the  neighboring  garden  of  the  monas- 
tery. Here  he  died  in  1400,  murmuring, 
"Truth  thee  shall  deliver,  'tis  no  dread."  In 
Elizabeth's  time,  when  the  reign  of  poesy  had 
fairly  begun,  his  unique  gray  monument  was 
erected  by  an  admirer.  Then  came  added  dis- 
tinction to  the  Abbey  with  Spenser,  into  whose 
grave  Beaumont,  Fletcher,  Jonson,  and  per- 
chance Shakespeare  threw  their  "mournful 
elegies  and  the  pens  which  wrote  them."  Ben 
Jonson,  so  tradition  said,  once  petitioned  for 
"eighteen  inches  of  square  ground"  in  the 
Abbey  and  therefore  was  buried  standing  up- 
right beneath  the  floor  of  the  nave.  The 
original  stone  inscribed  "O  rare  Ben  Jonson" 
is  fitted  into  the  wall  near  his  grave,  though 
a  medallion  gives  him  also  a  place  beside 
Spenser. 

265 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

In  quiet  country  churchyards  all  over  Brit- 
ain the  sacred  dust  of  her  men  of  literary 
genius  is  cherished,  "Chapels-of-ease  united 
by  invisible  cloisters  with  Westminster  Ab- 
bey," ^  but  the  Abbey  itself  claims  many  for 
its  own.  Though  Shakespeare  sleeps  in  Strat- 
ford, his  monument  in  the  Abbey  looks  down 
upon  the  graves  of  Macaulay  and  Handel, 
Dr.  Johnson  and  his  pupil,  David  Garrick, 
Sheridan  and  Henry  Irving.  Memorials  to 
Thomson  and  Goldsmith,  Coleridge  and 
Southey,  Thackeray  and  Ruskin,  Scott  and 
Burns,  surround  the  master  of  poets.  The 
Ayrshire  Bard's  monument  was  paid  for  by 
shilling  subscriptions  from  all  ranks  of  so- 
ciety, but  the  great  author  of  "Paradise  Lost" 
was  long  excluded  from  the  Abbey  by  the 
narrowness  of  Royalist  prejudice.  The  criti- 
cisms of  Addison's  Spectator  prepared  the 
way  for  his  recognition;  but  before  it  came, 
Addison  himself,  after  lying  in  state  in  the 
Jerusalem  Chamber,  had  been  buried  at  dead 
of  night  in  one  of  the  royal  chapels  beside  his 
friend  and  patron,  Montague. 

"How  silent  did  his  old  companions  tread, 
By  midnight  lamps^  the  mansions  of  the  dead." 

*  Stanley's  "Memorials." 

266 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

Dickens's  wish  for  a  private  funeral  was  re- 
spected. In  the  early  hours  of  a  summer 
morning  he  was  laid  next  to  Handel,  the  only 
music  being  an  occasional  peal  from  the  organ 
as  the  service  was  read;  but  the  people  paid 
their  tribute  later,  flowers  were  strewn  by 
many  unknown  hands,  and  thousands  of  per- 
sons of  all  classes  revealed  the  affection  in 
which  he  was  held.  Scarcely  less  influential 
though  in  widely  different  ways  were  the  two 
great  poets  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Brown- 
ing and  Tennyson,  who  rest  side  by  side  near 
the  tomb  of  Chaucer. 

At  the  death  of  William  Pitt,  the  great 
Earl  of  Chatham,  London  urged  his  burial  in 
its  Cathedral  so  that  the  city  might  express  its 
gratitude  and  veneration.  But  Parliament 
decreed  that  by  right  he  belonged  in  the  Ab- 
bey, "near  to  the  dust  of  Kings."  Hence  came 
the  Statesmen's  Transept,  further  hallowed  in 
later  years  by  the  graves  of  the  Cannings  and 
the  younger  Pitt,  Fox  and  Wilberforce,  the 
resolute  foes  of  the  slave  trade,  Gladstone, 
four  times  Prime  Minister,  and  memorials  to 
Beaconsfield,  Peel,  and  other  Englishmen  who 
in  Parliament  had  fought  the  battles  of  the 
nation. 

267 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Under  the  shadow  of  the  nave  the  men  of 
science  have  gradually  come  into  their  own. 
You  stand  beside  the  grave  of  the  immortal 
Newton  and  his  great  disciple,  Lord  Kelvin. 
Near  to  them  sleep  Darwin  and  Herschel. 
Just  above,  a  memorial  window  to  Sir  Benja- 
min Baker,  the  creator  of  the  Forth  Bridge, 
indicates  the  growing  recognition  of  "prac- 
tical" science.  Across  the  nave  lie  heroes  of 
Britain's  colonial  empire, — Lord  Lawrence, 
"the  great  viceroy  whose  name  was  feared  and 
loved  throughout  upper  India,"  with  Outram 
and  Clyde,  the  dauntless  defenders  of  Luck- 
now. 

Macaulay's  reference  to  the  Abbey  as  a 
"temple  of  silence  and  reconciliation"  seems 
more  than  ever  true  as  you  stand  before  the 
monument  of  Andre  and  recall  how  in  1821, 
when  his  body  was  at  England's  request 
brought  from  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  to  rest 
in  the  nave,  "A  few  locks  of  his  beautiful  hair 
still  remained  and  were  sent  to  his  sisters,  and 
the  bier  was  decorated  with  garlands  and  flow- 
ers as  it  was  transported  to  the  ship."  ^  A 
wreath  of  autumn  leaves,  America's  gift, 
hangs  above  the  monument.     You  have  al- 

^  Stanley's  "Memorials-." 

268 


Beginald  Haines,  Pliotograplier,  ImiuIuu. 

HENRY   VII'S    CHAPEL   AND    EAST    END   OF   ABBEY. 


Deighton,  Photographer,  London. 

POETS'   CORNER  — CHAUCER  S   TOMB    ON    LEFT,    SPENSER   AT    END, 
BROWNING   AND   TENNYSON    IN    FOREGROUND. 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

ready  noted  in  the  Chapter  House  the  beau- 
tiful windows,  memorials  to  Dean  Stanley, 
one  of  which  is  the  tribute  of  Americans  to 
the  distinguished  Dean.  In  like  manner  the 
poet  Longfellow  has  been  honored  by  Eng- 
lish admirers  who  placed  his  bust  in  the  Poet's 
Corner. 

More  inspiring  than  any  other  tendencies 
in  the  Abbey  are  the  indications  of  growing 
religious  toleration.  The  tablet  to  Isaac 
Watts,  "the  Keble  of  the  Nonconformists," 
recalls  the  great  religious  poet  whose  hjanns 
are  known  throughout  the  English-speaking 
world;  and  as  you  read  the  noble  words  of 
John  Wesley,  "I  regard  all  the  world  as  my 
parish,"  sculptured  on  the  memorial  of  the 
two  brothers,  they  seem  prophetic.  Memo- 
rable was  the  Abbey's  experience  when  the  re- 
visers of  the  Bible  in  our  own  day  met  within 
its  walls.  Before  entering  upon  their  work 
Dean  Stanley  administered  the  Communion 
in  Henry  VI I 's  Chapel  to  those  who  felt  dis- 
posed to  attend.  The  invitation  was  accepted 
by  Bishops  of  the  Established  Church,  dele- 
gates from  cathedral  and  collegiate  churches, 
the  universities  and  parishes,  "and  with  these 
intermingled  without  distinction  were  minis- 

269 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

ters  of  the  Established  and  of  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland  and  of  almost  every  non- 
conformist church  in  England — Independent, 
Baptist,  Wesleyan  and  Unitarian.  It  is  not 
to  be  supposed  that  each  one  of  those  present 
entered  with  equal  agi-eement  into  every  part 
of  the  service,  but  it  is  not  without  a  hopeful 
significance  that  such  various  representatives 
of  British  Christendom  partook  without  diffi- 
culty on  such  an  occasion  in  the  sacred  ordi- 
nance of  the  Christian  religion."  ^ 

Loyally  has  the  Abbey  kept  faith  with  the 
nation  in  these  later  days,  allowing  no  distinc- 
tion of  class,  creed,  party  or  occupation  to  ex- 
clude those  worthy  of  the  nation's  recognition. 

One  other  grave  at  which  few  fail  to  linger 
lies  in  the  center  of  the  nave.  On  a  massive 
gray  slab  is  the  inscription: 

"Brought  by  faithful  hands  over  land  and  sea, 
here  rests  David  Livingstone,  missionary,  traveller, 
philanthropist.  For  thirty  years  his  life  was  spent 
in  an  unwearied  effort  to  evangelize  the  native  races, 
to  explore  the  undiscovered  secrets,  to  abolish  the 
desolating  slave  traffic  of  Central  Africa,  where  with 
his  last  words  he  wrote :  'All  I  can  add  in  my  solitude 
is,  may  Heaven's   richest  blessings   come   down   on 

^  Stanley's  "Memorials." 

270 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

everyone,  American,  English,  or  Turk,  who  will  help 
to  heal  this  open  sore  of  the  world.'  " 

Your  last  visit  to  the  Abbey  is  perhaps  at 
one  of  the  summer  Sunday  evening  services 
held  in  the  nave.  Your  fellow  worshipers 
are  representatives  of  all  nations,  and  the 
service  is  adapted  to  the  Church  Universal. 
The  late  afternoon  sunlight  slants  through 
the  western  door,  while  numerous  twinkling 
lights  under  the  lofty  arches  illumine  the  dim 
spaces  of  the  nave.  Above  and  beyond  the 
choir  screen  dividing  the  nave,  darkness  en- 
folds chapel  and  transept.  As  the  hymns  of 
the  ages  peal  through  the  aisles  or  the 
triumphant  notes  of  the  Hallelujah  Chorus 
rise  above  the  arches,  you  watch  the  twilight 
fading  from  the  distant  windows  of  the  apse. 
Your  thoughts  travel  to  the  royal  chapel  just 
beyond,  where  sleeps  Dean  Stanley,  the  great 
interpreter  of  Westminster,  who  looked  upon 
it  not  merely  as  a  treasure  house  of  the  past, 
but  as  a  spiritual  temple  of  the  future,  in- 
viting to  its  puljDit  Churchman  and  Noncon- 
formist alike,  and  cherishing  as  its  ideal  that 
it  might  "embrace  within  itself  each  rising 
aspiration  after  all  greatness,  human  and  di- 
vine." 271 


pLAn  or 


BROAD    SANCTWRY 


272 


BRIEF    SUMMARY    FOR    THE    TRAVELER 

The  Abbey  begun  in   1050.     The  National  Church 
OF  England.     Chiefly  Early  Decorated  Gothhic, 

THE     LATER     PORTIONS     CONFORMING     CLOSELY     TO     THE 
ORIGINAL    DESIGN. 

Plain:  Cruciform,  with  a  chevet  or  polygonal  apse 
and  Lady   Chapel  eastward. 

Norman  Survivals  (1050-65) 

The  bases  of  pillars  and  walls  on  each  side  of  the 
Sanctuary  only  remains  of  the  Confessor's  Norman 
church.  The  Chapel  of  the  Pyx  in  the  east  walk  of 
cloister  and  the  covered  passage  beyond,  chief  Norman 
monastic  remains. 

Choir  (1245-69) 

Early  Decorated  Gothic.  Polygonal  apse  a  French 
feature.  Its  chapels  very  large  and  of  beautiful  de- 
sign. South  ambulatory  chapels  of  St.  Benedict,  St. 
Edmund,  and  St.  Nicholas.  North  ambulatory,  St. 
Paul,  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  Abbot  Islip  (ancient 
effigies  are  preserved  in  upper  floor  of  Islip  Chapel). 

Sanctuary:  Roman  mosaic  floor,  laid  down  in  1268. 
Reredos  of  high  altar  a  recent  restoration.  Close  to 
the  high  altar  the  much-worn  sedilia,  erected  in  time  of 
Edward  I.  On  the  left  three  very  remarkable  canopied 
tombs,  Aveline  of  Lancaster,  Aymer  de  Valence,  and 
Edward  Crouchback,  son  of  Henry  III.  Fine  example 
of  Early  Decorated  work,  very  early  14th  century.     No- 

273 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

tice  the  beautiful  carving  and  charming  design  of  the 
tiny  weepers  on  Aymer's  tomb^  the  second.  The  three 
form  a  remarkably  effective  group,  probably  once  richly 
colored  and  gilt. 

Edward  the  Confessor's  Chapel:  The  lower  part  of 
the  Confessor's  Shrine  is  the  original  by  Henry  III,  of 
Purbeck  marble  and  Roman  mosaics,  mutilated  in  Henry 
VIII's  time.  The  upper  part,  a  restoration  in  Queen 
Mary's  reign,  when  the  bones  were  replaced.  Notice 
the  Confessor's  Screen  (time  of  Edward  IV),  formerly 
reredos  of  the  high  altar. 

Notice  surrounding  tombs,  Queen  Philippa's  effigy 
of  alabaster,  the  earliest  portrait  effigy  in  the  Abbey; 
the  tiny  weepers  on  Edward  Ill's,  the  fine  wrought  iron- 
work of  Queen  Eleanor's  and  her  gilt  effigy,  the  work 
of  Torel,  a  famous  London  goldsmith;  the  mosaic  of 
Henry  Ill's  brought  to  England  by  Edward  I;  also  the 
simplicity  and  inscriptions  of  Edward  I's  and  the 
double  effigies  of  Richard  II's. 

Notice  diaper  work  in  spandrels  of  arches,  possibly 
once  gilt  on  a  red  ground.  Windows  in  eastern  end  of 
church  consist  of  two  lancets  with  a  large  six-foil  cir- 
cle above.  Geometrical  style.  Bar  tracery  used  in  the 
windows,  very  early  examples.  Choir  extends  four  bays 
westward  of  crossing. 

Transepts  (1245-G9) 

Early  Decorated  Gothic.  Aisles  on  both  sides,  but  in 
south  transept  one  forms  east  walk  of  cloister.  Beau- 
tiful arcades  at  end  of  each  transept. 

In  north  transept  notice  carving  just  above  entrance 
doorway    and    roses    on    doorway    itself,    also    "censing 

274 


WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 

angels"  above  in  spandrels  of  triforium.  On  west  wall 
arcade  notice  ancient  sculptures  of  St.  Michael  and  the 
Dragon.  Notice  the  four  slender  shafts  surrounding 
the  columns  of  the  great  arches.  Three  chapels  in  east 
aisle  of  the  transept. 

South  transept:  Chapel  of  St.  Faith,  the  old  reves- 
try.  Notice  very  rich  sculptures  and  carving  and  diaper 
work  in  the  triforium  of  the  end  wall.  Remains  of  old 
wall  arcading  between  the  monuments. 

Exterior:  Whole  north  front  restored  by  Christo- 
pher Wren  in  18th  century  and  by  Gilbert  Scott  in 
"Gothic  Revival"  in  ipth  century.  Practically  nothing 
remains  of  the  original  except  its  main  design;  the 
triple  doorway  of  French  character,  and  the  great  rose 
window,  the  glass  and  mullions  of  which  are  both  mod- 
ern. The  rose  window  of  the  south  transept  has  been 
restored  and  renewed  several  times.  The  originals  of 
these  great  squared  rose  windows  were  unlike  any  others 
in  England. 

Chapter  House  (1250-1260) 

Early  Decorated  Gothic.  Above  the  low  outer  ves- 
tibule, badly  worn  with  time,  was  the  old  monks'  dor- 
mitory. Notice  windows  very  similar  to  those  of  Sainte 
Chapelle  in  Paris  and  about  the  same  date.  Bar  tracery, 
very  early  examples.  Glass  modern.  Wall  arcading, 
traces  of  ancient  paintings,  and  original  pavement  still 
remain,  also  the  two  ancient  figures  of  the  Virgin  and 
Angel  of  the  Annunciation. 

Nave  and  Towers  (1245-1269  and  1367-1528) 

Early  Decorated  Gothic  in  five  eastern  bays,  with  dia- 
per pattern  in  spandrels,  1  .Sth  century  work.   Seven  west- 

275 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

ern  bays  in  imitation  of  earlier  style.  Differences  in 
shapes  of  base  and  capitals.  Four  detached  shafts  in 
eastern  part  of  church;  eight  attached  shafts  in  western. 
Triforium  gallery  one  of  the  finest  features  of  the 
church.      Notice  vistas  of  nave  aisles. 

Notice  shields  in  spandrels  of  wall  arcade.  On  north 
side,  double-tailed  lion  of  Simon  de  Montfort,  and 
French  lilies  of  Louis  IX.  Three  doors  on  south  side; 
easternmost  (about  1265).  Notice  roses  on  outer  jamb 
of  door.     Abbot's  pew,  early  l6th  century. 

Choir  screen,  modern,  inclosing  13th  century  stone- 
work. Nave  pulpit  modern,  commemorates  special 
services  held  in  nave  in  1859- 

Exterior:  North  side.  A  small  door  marks  the  end 
of  Henry  IH's  part  of  the  building.  Notice  slight  dif- 
ferences in  style  of  lowest  range  of  windows.  Triangu- 
lar windows  of  triforium.  Wall  buttresses  and  double 
tier  of  flying  buttresses  above  them.  Contrast  with  south 
side,  where  buttresses  span  roof  of  cloister.  Towers 
designed  by  Wren  and  finished  in  1740  after  his  death. 

Henry  VII's  Chapel  (1503-1512) 

Perpendicular  Gothic.  Magnificent  bronze  doors.  No- 
tice emblems;  the  rose,  lion,  portcullis,  fleur-de-lis,  let- 
ters "H.  R."  crowned,  dragon,  greyhound  and  falcon. 
The  tomb,  black  marble  with  gilt  bronze  effigy.  Superb 
fan  vaulting,  peculiar  to  Tudor  period,  perpendicular 
windows  and  paneling.  In  south  aisle  notice  tomb  of 
Margaret  Beaufort,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  Abbey. 

Exterior:  Much  restored.  "Only  a  full-sized  copy 
of  itself."  It  occupies  the  site  of  Henry  Ill's  Chapel, 
built  in  1220. 

276 


NOTES 


Cathedral  Churches  of  England 

The  word  "Cathedral"  (from  the  Latin  cathedra) 
signifies  simply  a  seat.  It  is  applied  to  the  particular 
church  in  a  diocese  which  is  the  headquarters  of  the 
bishop.  His  seat  or  throne  in  this  church  makes  it  a 
cathedral.  The  size  of  the  church  has  no  connection 
with  the  use  of  the  word,  which  is  often  erroneously  ap- 
plied to  large  churches.  There  are  several  classes  of 
cathedrals  in  England: 

Thirteen  Cathedrals  of  the  Old  Foundation:  These 
were  never  monastic  churches.  They  were  originally 
established  with  a  bishop  and  secular  canons.  A  few 
of  these  churches  have  cloisters,  never,  however,  used  by 
monks.     Salisbury  and  Lincoln  are  examples. 

Thirteen  Cathedrals  of  the  New  Foundation:  These 
were  originally  connected  with  nfonastic  establishments 
of  Benedictine  or  Augustinian  monks,  whose  needs  were 
served  by  the  cloisters  and  other  related  buildings,  the 
refectory,  dormitories,  etc.  When  Henry  VIII  dis- 
solved the  monasteries,  about  1540,  many  forms  of  these 
religious  bodies  existed  aside  from  the  cathedral  foun- 
dations. In  Yorkshire  alone  there  are  said  to  have 
been  twenty  abbeys,  twenty-six  priories,  twenty-three 
nunneries,  and  thirty  friaries,  whose  organizations  were 

277 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

broken  up  and  their  wealth  confiscated  by  the  King.  In 
monasteries  connected  with  cathedrals  the  King  did 
away  with  priors  and  monks,  substituting  for  them  a 
dean  and  twelve  canons,  to  conduct  the  services  and 
care  for  the  fabric  of  the  church. 

Eight  Victorian  Cathedrals:  Founded  in  modern 
times  out  of  former  monastic,  collegiate,  or  parochial 
churches. 

Two  Later  Cathedrals:    Founded  in  the  20th  century. 

One  Ancient  Cathedral:  Sodor  and  Man,  semi-inde- 
pendent. 

Church  of  England:    Titles  of  the  Clergy 

The  Right  Honourable  and  Most  Reverend  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  Primate  of  All  England  and  Metro- 
politan. 

The  Right  Honourable  and  Most  Reverend  Archbishop 
of  York,  Primate  of  England  and  Metropolitan. 

The  Right  Honourable  and  Right  Reverend  Bishop  of 
London, 

The  Right  Reverend  Bishop  of  Winchester.  (This  title 
applies  to  all  other  bishops.) 

The  Province  of  Canterbury  includes  twenty-seven  bish- 
oprics, and  that  of  York  nine,  with  also  the  semi- 
independent  bishopric  of  Sodor  and  Man. 


278 


NOTES 


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281 


A   SELECTED   BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Books  on  Special  Cathedrals 
Canterbury 

Bell's  Cathedral  Series:  Canterbury,  Hartley  With- 
ers, 60  cents  net.  Price  in  England,  one  shilling  six- 
pence. 

Memorials  of  Canterbury,  Dean  Stanley,  50  cents  (in- 
valuable for  the  student  of  Canterbury.  Four  lectures 
on  Augustine,  the  Black  Prince,  and  the  Shrine  of 
Becket). 

Canterbury,  Canon  Danks,  an  extremely  picturesque 
account  of  the  town  and  Cathedral.  About  50  pages, 
illustrated  in  color. 

Notes  on  the  Cathedrals :  Canterbury.  S.  P.  C.  K., 
one  penny  (on  sale  in  all  cathedral  towns). 

Architectural  History  of  Canterbury  Cathedral,  Rob- 
ert Willis.  The  work  of  an  expert,  whose  conclusions 
have  shaped  the  work  of  later  writers. 

Durham 

Bell's  Cathedral  Series:  Durham,  J.  E.  Bygate,  60 
cents  net. 

Durham  Cathedral,  William  Greenwell  (Andrews  & 
Co.,  Durham,  one  shilling).  An  exceptionally  valuable 
work  by  a  local  archaeologist  who  has  made  an  exhaus- 
tive study  of  the  Cathedral. 

A  Day  in  Durham,  Rev.  Henry  Gee,  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Durham,  is  a  very  excellent  penny  guide. 

Guide  to  Durham  Castle,  one  penny  (published  by 
Thomas  Caldcleugh  &  Son,  Durham). 

283 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

,    Notes  on  the  Cathedrals:  Durham.     S.  P.  C.  K.,  one 
penny  (on  sale  in  all  cathedral  towns). 

Ely 

Bell's  Cathedral  Series:  Ely,  W.  D.  Sweeting,  60 
cents  net. 

The  Cathedral  Handbook,  Charles  W.  Stubbs,  one 
shilling.  A  local  guide  book,  prepared  by  the  late 
Bishop  of  Truro,  formerly  Dean  of  Ely.  Bishop 
Stubbs's  long  acquaintance  with  Ely  and  his  charm  as  a 
writer  give  the  book  especial  value. 

Here  ward  the  Wake,  Charles  Kingsley,  $1.25,  is  the 
story  of  the  last  stand  of  the  English  against  William 
the  Norman.  The  center  of  the  struggle  was  the  Isle  of 
Ely. 

The  Camp  of  Refuge,  Charles  MacFarlane  (ont  of 
print).  More  historically  accurate  than  Kingsley 's 
novel  but  without  his  dramatic  quality.  The  introduc- 
tion gives  tlie  facts  and  shows  how  differently  the  two 
authors  used  them. 

Notes  on  the  Cathedrals:  Ely.     S.  P.  C.  K.,  one  penny. 

Lichfield 

Bell's  Cathedral  Series:  Lichfield.  A.  B.  Clifton,  60 
cents  net. 

Notes  on  the  Cathedrals :  Lichfield.  S.  P.  C.  K.,  one 
penny. 

The  Siege  of  Lichfield.  An  English  story  giving  a  de- 
tailed account  of  the  famous  struggle.  It  is  exceedingly 
partisan  in  its  tone  but  not  without  interest. 

A  small  Hand  Guide,  giving  details  of  statues,  etc., 
can  be  secured  at  the  Cathedral  for  sixpence. 

Lincoln 

Bell's  Cathedral  Series:  Lincoln.  A.  F.  Kendrick,  60 
cents  net. 

284 


A  SELECTED  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Notes  on  the  Cathedrals:  Lincoln.  S.  P.  C.  K.  one 
penny. 

In  few  cathedral  towns  is  it  possible  to  get  photo- 
graphs of  architectural  details,  but  in  Lincoln  there  is 
an  architectural  photographer  who  has  devoted  himself 
to  this  important  work  with  rare  skill  and  enthusiasm. 
His  beautiful  and  inexpensive  little  photographs  are 
works  of  art.  His  address  is  S.  Smith,  The  Minster 
Book  Shop,  Steep   Hill,   Lincoln. 

The  Archaeological  Journal,  Vol.  XXV,  page  1  (1868), 
has  an  illustrated  article  on  "The  Norman  Sculpture  on 
the  Front  of  the  Cathedral." 


Rochester 

Bell's  Cathedral  Series:  Rochester.  G.  H.  Palmer, 
60  cents  net. 

The  Mystery  of  Edwin  Drood,  Charles  Dickens,  35 
cents.  This  was  Dickens's  last  work  and  left  unfin- 
ished. The  scene  is  laid  in  Rochester  in  and  about  the 
Cathedral. 

John  Jasper's  Secret,  by  Wilkie  Collins  and  Charles 
Dickens,  Jr.,  $1.25.  The  story  is  said  to  have  been 
completed  by  the  two  writers  from  material  left  by  Dick- 
ens in  notes  or  in  conversation  with  friends.  Some  doubt 
exists  on  this  point.  Rochester  is  associated  with  many 
of  Dickens's  works,  notably  "Pickwick  Papers,"  "Great 
Expectations,"  and  "The  Seven  Poor  Travellers." 

Notes  on  the  Cathedrals:  Rochester.  S.  P.  C.  K.,  one 
penny. 

Salisbury 

Bell's  Cathedral  Series:  Salisbury.  Gleason  White, 
60  cents  net. 

Under  Salisbury  Spire,  Emma  Marshall,  sixpence 
(Seeley  &  Co.,  London).  A  story  of  Salisbury  in  the 
days  of  George  Herbert. 

Tess    of    the   D'Urbervilles,    Thomas    Hardy,    $1.50. 

285 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Stonehenge  is  made  the  setting  for  a  part  of  the  tragedy 
with  which  the  book  closes. 

Notes  on  the  Cathedrals:  Rochester.  S.  P.  C.  K.,  one 
penny. 

Westminster  Abbey 

The  Westminster  Abbey  Guide,  M.  C.  Bradley  (Mrs. 
Henry  Birchenough)  and  E.  T.  Bradley  (Mrs.  A.  Mur- 
ray Smith),  40  cents  net.  Sold  at  the  Abbey  for  six- 
pence.    This  is  the  official  guide  to  the  Abbey. 

A  Walk  Through  Westminster  Abbey,  Canon  S.  A. 
Barnett.  Written  for  the  benefit  of  the  great  public 
who  have  no  time  to  study  the  building.  A  very  effective 
sixteen-page  pamphlet,  taking  the  visitor  to  the  most 
important  points  of  view  and  showing  their  significance 
both  in  the  history  of  the  Abbey  and  in  English  His- 
tory.    Sold  at  the  Abbey  for  a  penny. 

Bell's  Cathedral  Series:  Westminster  Abbey.  Charles 
Hiatt,  60  cents  net. 

Memorials  of  Westminster  Abbey,  Dean  Arthur  P. 
Stanley,  2  vols.,  $1.80  net.  The  most  famous  of  all 
histories  of  the  Abbey,  written  with  all  the  charm  char- 
acteristic of  Dean  Stanley's  work. 

Westminster  Abbey,  Francis  Bond.  This  recent  book 
is  the  complement  of  Dean  Stanley's  historical  record, 
for  in  Mr.  Bond's  work  we  have  the  Abbey  as  interpreted 
by  an  architect  of  long  experience.  Very  fully  illus- 
trated. 

Notes  on  the  Abbey  Churches:  Westminster.  Parts  I 
and  II.     S.  P.  C.  K.,  one  penny. 

York 

Bell's  Cathedral  Series:  York.  A.  Clutton-Brock,  60 
cents  net. 

Handbook  of  York  Minster,  George  Benson.  A  local 
publication  especially  valuable  for  its  full  and  minute 
details,  carefully  classified. 

286 


A  SELECTED  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Nicholas  Nicklehy,  Charles  Dickens.  Chapter  VI 
contains  the  legend  of  the  "Five  Sisters." 

Notes  on  the  Cathedrals:  York.  S.  P.  C.  K.,  one 
penny. 

General  Works 

History  of  Gothic  Architecture  in  England,  Francis 
Bond,  $12.00  net  (1906).  A  very  important  recent 
work  on  English  Medieval  architecture  by  an  eminent 
English  architect. 

English  Cathedrals,  Francis  Bond,  $2.00.  Brief  de- 
scriptions of  cathedrals  of  England  from  the  architec- 
tural point  of  view — very  suggestive. 

A  History  of  Architectural  Development,  F.  M. 
Simpson,  in  three  volumes.  A  recent  and  most  delightful 
and  informing  work.     (See  Vol.  II,  Medieval.) 

Handbook  of  Ejiglish  Cathedrals,  R.  J.  King  (out 
of  print,  but  to  be  found  in  all  large  libraries).  A  rec- 
ognized authority  and  very  readable. 

Development  and  Characteristics  of  Gothic  Archi- 
tecture, Charles  H.  Moore,  $4.50.  A  valuable  book  for 
the  serious  student  of  Gothic  art. 

Medieval  Art,  W.  R.  Lethaby,  $2.00.  By  a  gifted 
writer  of  unusual  insight  and  appreciation. 

Handbook  of  English  Cathedrals,  Mrs.  Schuyler  Van 
Rensselaer,  $2.50  net.  Twelve  cathedrals.  The  chap- 
ters were  originally  published  in  the  Century  Magazine, 
are  of  high  quality  and  much  literary  charm. 

Illustrated  Guide  to  the  Cathedrals  of  Great  Britain, 
P.  H.  Ditchfield,  $2.00.  An  excellent  guide  book  to 
more  than  forty  English  churches. 

English  Cathedrals,  Helen  Marshall  Pratt,  $2.50. 
This  book  possesses  special  merit  for  its  admirable  ar- 
rangement of  material:  explanations  of  architectural 
styles,  and  of  the  character  of  stained  glass,  followed 
by  studies  of  thirty-two  cathedrals. 

A  B  C  of  Gothic  Architecture;  Introduction  to  Gothic 

287 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Architecture  and  Concise  Glossary  of  Gothic  Archi- 
tecture, J.  H.  Parker,  $1.25.  Three  useful  little  books, 
very  compact  in  form  and  abundantly  illustrated. 

A  Historical  Sketch  of  Architecture  in  England,  E.  A. 
Freeman  in  Baedeker's  Great  Britain,  should  be  care- 
fully studied  in  connection  with  the  localities  referred 
to. 

The  Cathedrals  of  England  and  Wales,  T.  Francis 
Bumpus,  in  3  vols.,  $6.00.  Illustrated,  interesting  and 
unusual. 

Stones  of  Venice,  John  Ruskin,  Book  II,  $1.00. 
Chapter  VI  consists  of  his  well-known  essay  on  The 
Nature  of  Gothic. 

Notes  on  the  Cathedrals.  In  every  cathedral  town 
the  traveler  will  find  on  sale  for  a  penny  a  compact  lit- 
tle booklet  with  this  title  published  by  the  Society  for 
Promoting  Christian  Knowledge. 

History  of  the  Cathedral  Church  of  Wells,  E.  A. 
Freeman,  $1.25,  consists  of  three  lectures  illustrating  the 
cathedral  churches  of  the  Old  Foundation.  Students  of 
early  English  Church  history  will  find  this  book  very 
illuminating. 

Bell's  Cathedral  Series,  60  cents  net,  well  illustrated, 
furnishes  the  most  convenient  and  effective  guide  books 
for  each  cathedral  town.  In  England  the  price  of  each 
is  one  shilling  sixpence. 

A  History  of  the  Church  of  England,  William  Boyd 
Carpenter,  Canon  of  Westminster,  formerly  Bishop  of 
Ripon.  A  book  written  for  young  people,  but  interesting 
to  their  elders. 

Stained  Glass,  Lewis  F.  Day's  volume  in  the  series  of 
South  Kensington  Museum  Art  Handbooks.  $1.25  net. 
It  supplements,  in  condensed  form,  his  larger,  fully  illus- 
trated work,  entitled  "Windows."  Works  by  Winston 
and  Westlake  are  ranked  as  authoritative. 

A  History  of  Architecture,  by  A.  D.  F.  Hamlin 
(College  Histories  of  Art),  $2.00.  A  brief  general  work 
on  Architecture. 

288 


GLOSSARY 


ARCHITECTtrRAL    TeRMS 

Abacus. — The  tablet  or  slab  above  the  capital  of  a  column. 

Aisle.— The  side  divisions  of  a  church  (or  hall),  commonly 
at  a  lower  level. 

Ambulatory. — An  aisle  or  passage. 

Apse. — The  semicircular  or  polygonal  termination  of  a  choir, 
or  its  aisles,  sometimes  of  the  nave  or  transepts. 

Arcade. — A  series  of  arches  supported  by  piers  or  columns, 
either  open  or  backed  by  masonry. 

Aumbrey  or  Almery. — A  cupboard  for  containing  the  sacred 
vessels. 

Ball  flower. — A  globular  flower  of  three  petals,  inclosing  a 
ball. 

Bay. — A  chief  architectural  division  of  a  building,  from 
floor  to  roof. 

Billet  molding. — A  pattern  made  with  detached  cylindrical 
or  cubical  blocks. 

Blind  Arcade. — Arches  backed  by  a  flat  surface. 

Boss. — A  mass  of  carving  at  the  intersection  of  the  ribs  of 
a  vault,  etc. 

Buttress. — An  external  support  to  the  wall  of  a  building. 
Flying  Buttress,  one  supporting  an  upper  wall  with  which  it 
is  connected  by  an  arch. 

Cable  molding. — A  molding  resembling  a  rope  or  cable. 

Canopy. — An  ornamented  projection  over  doors,  windows, 
niches,  etc. 

Capital. — The  head  of  a  column. 

Cathedral. — A  church  wnich  contains  the  seat  of  a  bishop. 

Chantry. — A  small  chapel  used  for  chanting  masses  for  the 
soul  of  its  founder,  whose  tomb  was  in  or  near  the  chantrj-. 

Chapel-of-ease. — A  chapel  for  parishioners  residing  at  a  dis- 
tance from  the  parish  church. 

289 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Chapter  house. — The  Assembly  room  for  transaction  of  the 
business  of  Dean  and  Chapter  in  a  Cathedral. 

Chevet  (sheh-vay). — The  ring  of  chapels  around  the  east 
end  of  a  choir  or  its  aisles. 

Choir. — (1)  That  part  of  a  church  where  the  clergy  and 
monks  sat.     (2)   The  whole  eastern  limb  of  the  church. 

Cinque  foil  (sank-foil). — In  window  or  other  tracery  an 
opening  consisting  of  five  foils  (see  Cusp). 

Clerestory  or  Clear-story. — The  upper  story  or  row  of  win- 
dows in  a  great  church;  so  called  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
blind-story,  or  triforium. 

Cloister. — A  covered  court  in  a  monastery  or  college,  com- 
monly attached  to  the  church. 

Close  (soft  s). — The  precincts  of  a  cathedral. 

Column. — A  round  pillar. 

Corbel. — An   ornamented   bracket  supporting   a  weight. 

Corbel  table. — A  row  of  corbels  usually  with  -small  arches 
above  them,  supporting  a  cornice. 

Corinthian  capital. — A  Greek  capital  having  a  bell-shaped 
core,  around  the  base  of  which  are  two  rows  of  conventionalized 
acanthus  leaves.  From  these  rise  slender  stalks  combining  to 
form  volutes  below  the  sides  and  four  corners  of  the  abacus. 

Cornice. — The  horizontal  molded  projection  encircling  the 
top  of  a  building. 

Crocket. — A  bunch  of  projecting  flowers  or  foliage  decorat- 
ing pinnacles,  arches,  etc. 

Crossiny. — The  space  at  the  intersection  of  nave  and  tran- 
septs. 

Cruciform. — Cross-shaped. 

Crypt. — A  vault  beneath  a  building,  wholly  or  partly  under- 
ground. 

Cusps  (spear  point). — The  projecting  points  in  Gothic  win- 
dow tracery,  panelings,  etc.,  the  spaces  between  being  known 
as  foils. 

Diaper. — A  uniform  ornamental  pattern  covering  a  flat  sur- 
face. 

Dog-tooth  molding. — Ornaments  usually  consisting  of  a 
square  four-leaved  flower,  the  center  projecting  to  form  a 
point. 

.Dripstone. — A  projecting  tablet  or  molding  over  heads  of 
archways,  windows,  doorways,  etc. 

290 


GLOSSARY 

Faqade  (fa-sahd). — The  exterior  face  of  a  building,  usually 
the  chief  face. 

Fan  vaulting. — Vaulting  in  which  all  the  ribs  that  rise  from 
the  springing  of  the  vault  have  the  same  curve  and  diverge 
equally  in  every  direction,  producing  a  fanlike  effect. 

Feretory. — A  portable  shrine,  in  which  the  relics  of  a  saint 
were  carried,  or  a  fixed  shrine  for  his  tomb. 

Finial. — A  leaf-shaped  ornament  ending  a  pinnacle  or  gable, 
etc. 

Foil. — See  Cusp. 

Galilee  forch. — The  name  is  sometimes  traced  back  to  the 
Jewish  porch  of  the  Gentiles.  Also  to  the  monks'  proces- 
sions commemorating  the  successive  appearances  of  Christ 
after  his  resurrection,  culminating  in  Galilee.  It  refers  in  gen- 
eral to  the  least  sacred  part  of  a  church. 

Garth. — An  enclosure  or  green. 

Grisaille  (gree-zi)  glass. — Glass  of  a  greenish-gray  tint,  with 
patterns  in  a  brownish  pigment. 

Hood  mold. — An  ornamental  dripstone  used  in  interiors. 

Impost. — The   point   where   an   arch   rises    from   its   piers. 

Lancet. — Pointed  window,  suggesting  in  form  a  surgeon's 
lancet. 

Lantern. — A  tower  above  the  roof  of  a  building,  usually 
open  to  \iew   from  the  ground  and  used  to  admit  light. 

Lierne  ribs. — The  smaller  intermediate  ribs  of  a  vault  not 
rising  from  the  impost. 

Louvre. — An  opening  in  belfries  or  elsewhere  filled  with 
louvre  slats. 

Minster. — A  monastery.  In  England  many  of  these  were 
transformed   into  cathedrals,   hence  its  wide   use. 

Miserere. — A  hinged  bracket,  forming  a  seat  in  the  stall  of  a 
choir. 

Molding. — A  general  term  applied  to  all  the  varieties  of 
outline  or  contour  given  to  the  angles  of  the  various  subordi- 
nate parts  and  features  of  buildings,  whether  projections  or 
cavities,  such  as  cornices,  capitals,  bases,  etc. 

Mullion. — The  division  between  lights  of  windows,  screens, 
etc.,  in  Gothic  architecture. 

IVave. — The  western  limb  of  a  cruciform  church. 

Ogee  (ojee). — A  curved  line  or  molding,  partly  concave 
and  partly  convex. 

291 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Orders. — In  Norman  and  Gothic  architecture  the  arches  were 
recessed,  often  in  three  distinct  divisions.  These  were  known 
as  orders,  and  were  enriched  with  moldings  and  ornaments. 

Parvise. — The  room  above  a  church  porch. 

Pier. — The  support  of  an  arch.  It  may  be  square,  cylin- 
drical, or  formed  of  clusters  of  columns  or  masses  of  masonry 
ornamented  with  shafts.  Also  a  solid  portion  of  a  wall  be- 
tween window  openings. 

Pillar. — The  shaft  supporting  an  arch.  Clustered  or  com- 
pound pillars  are  frequently  used. 

Pinnacle. — A  tall  ornament,  usually  tapering  toward  the  top, 
much  used  as  a  termination  to  buttresses,  both  for  decorative 
effect  and  for  its  weight. 

Piscina  (pis-see-na). — A  basin  attached  to  the  wall  near  the 
altar  of  a  church,  where  the  priest  washed  his  hands  and  rinsed 
the  chalice. 

Plate  tracery. — Tracery  which  is  formed  by  piercing  a  flat 
surface  with  ornamental  patterns. 

Plinth. — A  square  member,  forming  the  lower  division  of  the 
base  of  a  column. 

Portcullis. — A  massive  grating  sliding  up  and  down  and 
forming  a  door  for  the  defense  of  gateways. 

Presbytery. — The  part  of  a  church  containing  the  high  altar. 

Pyx. —  (1)  The  box  or  casket  in  which  the  consecrated  bread 
was  placed.  (2)  A  box  containing  the  standard  pieces  of  gold 
and  silver  used  for  testing  the  coinage. 

Quadripartite  vault. — One  in  which  each  compartment  is  di- 
vided into  four  cells  by  diagonal  ribs. 

Quatrefoil  (katr-foil). — An  opening  in  windows  or  other 
tracery,  consisting  of  four  foils.     (See  Cusp;  also  Trefoil.) 

Beredos. — A  screen  at  the  back  of  an  altar,  often  profusely 
carved  and  decorated. 

Retro-choir. — The  space  between  the  Presbytery  and  the 
Lady  Chapel. 

Rood. — A  crucifix. 

Rood-loft. — A  beam  carrying  the  rood,  placed  above  the 
rood  screen. 

Rood  screen. — An  enriched  screen,  usually  surmounted  by  a 
rood  separating  nave  and  choir.  When  the  monks'  stalls  oc- 
cupied the  crossing,  the  screen  stood  across  the  nave. 

Sanctuary. — The   space   within   the    altar   rails. 

292 


GLOSSARY 

Scalloped  capital. — A  form  of  decoration  resembling  a  shell. 

Screen. — A  low  partition.  The  chief  screen  in  a  cathedral 
is  that  between  the  choir  and  nave,  formerly  Itnown  as  the 
Rood  Screen  from  the  cross  bearing  a  crucifix,  which  often 
stood  upon  it. 

Sedilia. — The  seats  of  the  officiating  clergy. 

Shaft. — The  body  of  a  column  or  pillar;  but  particularly 
applied  to  small  columns  clustered  around  pillars  or  used  in 
arcades,  etc. 

Slype  (long  y). — A  narrow  passage  between  a  church  and 
its  conventual  buildings;   a  passage  between   two  walls. 

Spandrel. — The  triangular  space  between  the  curve  of  an 
arch  and  the  right  angle  which  encloses  it,  or  between  two 
arches. 

Splay. — The  widening  of  an  embrasure   outward  or  inward. 

Springer. — The  lower  stones  of  the   ribs  of  a  vault. 
■  Stall. — A  fixed  seat,  enclosed  usually  at  the  back  and  sides. 

Stoup. — A  receptacle  for  holy  water. 

String  course. — A  projecting  horizontal  band  or  line  of 
moldings  in  a  building. 

Thrust. — The  pressure  exerted  laterally  and  downward  by 
an  arch  or  vault. 

Tracery. — Ornamental  stonework  in  Gothic  windows,  panels, 
ceilings,  etc. 

Transept. — Any  part  of  a  church  projecting  at  right  angles 
from  the  body  and  approaching  it  in  height.  Such  a  projec- 
tion always  contemplates  a  corresponding  one  on  the  opposite 
side. 

Transom. — A  horizontal  muUion  or  crossbar  in  a  window  or 
unglazed  opening. 

Trefoil. — Window  or  other  tracery  suggesting  a  three-lobed 
leaf.      (See  Cusp.) 

Triforium. —  (1)  A  gallery  in  a  church — "the  blind  story" — 
usually  the  space  between  the  sloping  roof  of  the  aisle  and  the 
vaulted  ceiling  beneath.  (2)  The  arcade  in  front  of  the  gal- 
lery.    It  is  often  dark,  but  sometimes   lighted   by  windows. 

Triptych. — A  picture,  carving  or  work  of  art  on  three  panels 
side  by  side. 

Tympanum. — The  space  above  the  horizontal  opening  of  a 
doorway  and  the  arch  above. 

Undercroft. — A  subterranean  chapel  or  apartment. 

293 


AN  ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  JOURNEY 

Volute. — A  spiral  scroll,  the  chief  feature  of  an  Ionic  capi- 
tal; used  also  in  the  Corinthian.  It  was  frequently  retained  in 
Norman  capitals. 

Voussoirs  (voo-swahrs). — The  stones  forming  an  arch — the 
chief  is  the  keystone. 

Ecclesiastical  Terms 

Canon. — A  member  of  the  chapter  of  a  cathedral  or  a  col- 
legiate church. 

Canon  residentiary. — One  who,  during  three  months  or  more 
of  the  year,  is  in  residence  at  the  cathedral.  Regular  canons 
(under  the  Roman  Catholic  Church)  were  bound  to  live  in  a 
monastery  and  renounce  private  property.  Secular  canons 
were  not  bound  by  monastic  rules  or  vows  of  poverty. 

Chasuble. — A  long  outward  vestment  worn  by  a  priest.  It 
has  a  gilt  cross  on  the  back. 

Collegiate  church. — One  that  has  a  college  or  chapter,  con- 
sisting of  a  dean,  canons  and  prebends,  but  has  not  a  bishop's 
see.  A  collegiate  church  must  have  daily  choir  service,  and 
support  a  dean  and  canons.  Some  of  the  present  collegiate 
churches  were  formerly  ancient  abbeys. 

Consistory  court. — A  bishop's  court  for  offenses  dealt  with 
by  ecclesiastical  law. 

Ecclesiastical  commission. — A  standing  commission  in  Eng- 
land created  by  parliament  in  the  early  part  of  the  19th  cen- 
tury, and  invested  with  important  powers  for  the  reform  of 
the   Established  Church. 

Herb-benet,  or  Herba  Benedicta. — (1)  A  European  herb 
{Geum  i.rbanum,  or  avens).  (2)  (a)  The  poison  hemlock; 
(b)  the  common  valerian.  The  plants  were  supposed  to  be 
antidotes  to  poisons  and  to  drive  out  serpents  and  vermin 
from  the  houses  where  they  were  kept. 

Maniple. — An  ornamental  band  worn  on  the  left  arm  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  clergy. 

Maundy  Thursday. — The  Thursday  just  before  Good  Fri- 
day. 

Mazer. — A  bowl  or  goblet  of  fine  materials,  usually  quite 
large. 

Pall. — A  y-shaped  strip  of  lamb's  wool  marked  with  crosses. 
A  special  mark  of  Metropolitan  dignity  sent  to  each  primate 
by  the  Pope. 

294 


GLOSSARY 

Prebend. — (1)  The  portion  of  the  revenues  of  a  cathedral 
or  collegiate  church  granted  to  a  canon  as  his  stipend.  (2) 
The  separate  portion  of  land  or  tithe  from  which  the  stipend 
is  gathered. 

Precentor. — One  who  leads  or  directs  the  singing  of  a  choir 
or  congregation.  In  churches  of  the  Old  Foundation  the  pre- 
centor ranked  next  the  dean. 

Sacrist. — An  officer  of  a  church  who  has  charge  of  all  ob- 
jects needed   for  divine  service. 

Stole. — A  narrow  band,  often  embroidered,  worn  by  the 
clergj'  of  Anglican  and  other  churches  while  officiating  at 
service. 

Translation. — The  term  used  for  the  transfer  of  a  bishop 
from  one  see  to  another. 

}^isitation. — An  official  or  authoritative  inspection  of  an  in- 
stitution. 


295 


INDEX 


Abacus,  the,  in  Early  English 
Gothic,  13. 

Addison,  Joseph,  quoted,  168; 
burial-place  of,  in  Westmin- 
ster Abbey,  266. 

Aidan,  Bishop  of  Lindisfarne, 
113,  193-194,  232. 

Alan  of  Walsingham,  work  of, 
in  Ely  Cathedral,  141,  156- 
158. 

Alcuin  of  York,  225. 

Aldhelm,  Bishop  of  Sherborne, 
170. 

Aldhun,  Bishop,  115-116. 

Aldred,  Archbishop  of  York, 
224;  coronation  of  William 
the  Conqueror  by,  248-249. 

Aldreth,  William  the  Conquer- 
or's  bridge    at,    144. 

Alexander  the  Magnificent, 
Bishop  of  Lincoln,  81,  83, 
84. 

Alphege,  Archbishop,  24,  33. 

Andr^,  Major,  interment  of,  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  268. 

Angel  Choir,  Lincoln,  90,  91, 
98-100;  exterior  view,  102- 
104. 

Angel  Steeple,  Canterbury 
Cathedral,    23. 

Anselm,  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, 33. 

Augustine,  St.,  25,  26,  27,  31, 
32. 

Awdry,  patron  saint  of  Elv, 
142." 


Ball-flower     Ornament,     16; 
in   Salisbury   Cathedral,    180. 


Bar  tracery,  14-15;  in  Salis- 
bury Cathedral,  187. 

Beck,  Anthony,  Bishop  of  Dur- 
ham,  130. 

Becket.     See  Thomas  a  Becket. 

Becket's  Crown,  Canterbury 
Cathedral,  29-30,  40. 

Bede,  the  Venerable,  124-126. 

Bell  Ringers'  Gallery,  Durham 
Cathedral,  134. 

Bells,  Rochester  Cathedral,  67; 
Lincoln  Cathedral,  102;  York 
Cathedral,  237. 

Benson,  Archbishop,  tomb  of, 
Canterbury   Cathedral,   45. 

Bertha,  Qyeen,  25. 

Bible,  meeting  of  revisers  of, 
in  Jerusalem  Chamber,  West- 
minster  Abbey,   269-270. 

Biscop,    Benedict,    124,    223. 

Bishop's  Eye,  Lincoln  Cathe- 
dral, 93-94. 

Black  Prince,  Chantry  Chapel 
of  the,  Canterbury  Cathedral, 
37;  tomb  of,  42. 

Blecca,   prefect  of  Lincoln,  80. 

Boothby,    Sir    Brooke,    205. 

Boy   Bishop   of   Salisbury,    185. 

Bradford-on-Avon,  church  at, 
4. 

Brihtnoth,   Abbot  of   Ely,   143. 

Brihtnoth,   Earl,   143. 

Brooke,  Lord,  siege  of  Lich- 
field by,  210. 

Burgh,  Hubert  de,  41. 

Burns  monument,  Westminster 
Abbey,  266. 

Bury  St.  Edmunds,  church  of, 
3.' 


297 


INDEX 


Canterbury  Cathedral,  8,  10, 
11,  58;  chapter  on,  23  ff.; 
plan  of,.  48;  architectural 
summary,  49-53. 

Capitals,  Norman,  9;  in  Early 
English  Gothic,  13;  of  pil- 
lars in  Canterbury  Cathedral, 
39-40. 

Carlyle,  Thomas,  at  Ely  Cathe- 
dral, 160-161. 

Ceadda    (St.  Chad),  195-196. 

Chapter  House,  York  Cathe- 
dral, 337-338;  Westminster 
Abbey,  356. 

Chapter  House  doorway,  Roch- 
ester Cathedral,  67. 

Chaucer,  quoted,  23;  monument 
to,  in  Westminster  Abbev, 
265. 

Choir,  the,  in  cathedral  archi- 
tecture, 8;  of  York  Cathe- 
dral, 238-239. 

Clerestory,  the,  in  cathedral 
architecture,  7. 

Cluny,  church  of,  3. 

Colet,  John,  43,  44. 

Columba,  Irish  monk,  193,  195, 
222. 

Conrad,  Prior,  at  Canterbury, 
34. 

Conrad's  Choir,  Canterbury,  34, 
38. 

Consecration  crosses,  Salisbury 
Cathedral,   181. 

Coronation  Chair,  Westminster 
Abbey,   258. 

Coronation  of  English  kings, 
rules  concerning,  249. 

Cosin,  Bishop  of  Durham,  131. 

Courtenay,  Archbishop,  tomb 
of,  Canterbury  Cathedral,  43. 

Coventry,  abbey  of,   198. 

Crauden,  John,  Prior  of  Ely, 
156,  159. 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  at  Ely  Cathe- 
dral, 161. 

Crossing,  the,  8. 


Cross-shapeO  cliurches,  5-6. 
Curvilinear    Decorated     Gothic 

architecture,   16-17. 
Cuthbert,  Archbishop,  32. 
Cuthbert,  St.,  114,  123,  130. 

Dark  Entry,  Canterbury  Ca- 
thedral, 30. 

Dean's  Eye,  Lincoln  Cathedral, 
93-94. 

Decorated  Stvle,  at  Canterbury, 
40-41;  at  Lichfield  Cathedra"l, 
300  ff. 

De  Hoo,  William,  53,  59,  64. 

D'Esthia,   Prior,   40. 

Dickens,  Charles,  reminders  of, 
at  Rochester,  53,  56,  68,  70- 
73;  tablet  to,  68;  burial  of, 
in   Westminster   Abbey,   267. 

Dog-tooth  ornaments,  13;  in 
Canterbury  Cathedral,  39 ;  in 
Lincoln  Cathedral,  89-90;  in 
Galilee  Porch,  Lincoln,  101 ; 
in  Lichfield  Cathedral,  202. 

Doorways,  of  Lincoln  Cathe- 
dral, 83-84,  104-105;  Durham 
Cathedral,  132;  York  Cathe- 
dral, 236-237. 

Double  curve  in  Curvilinear 
Decorated   Gothic,   17. 

Douglas,  Bishop  of  Salisbury, 
173. 

Dunstan,    Archbishop,   33,    143. 

Durham  Castle,  111,  117,  122, 
131,  133. 

Durham  Cathedral,  6,  7,  8,  10, 
11;  chapter  on.  111  ff. ;  plan, 
136 ;  architectural  summary, 
137-139. 

Durham,  University  of,  131, 
133. 

Dykes,  John  B.,  133. 

Early  English  Gothic  Archi- 
tecture, 13-14;  in  Ely  Cathe- 
dral, 150  ff.;  in  Salisbury 
Cathedral,    175,    181,    183. 


298 


INDEX 


Early   Norman  work,  9. 

Eastgate  Museum,  Rochester, 
72. 

Edward  the  Confessor,  1 ; 
church  built  on  site  of  West- 
minster Abbey  by,  246-247; 
Chapel  and  tomb  of,  256, 
259. 

Edward  I,  99. 

Edwin  of  Northumbria,  221- 
223. 

Eleanor,  Queen,  98,  250;  monu- 
ment to,  in  Angel  Choir,  Lin- 
coln Cathedral,  99;  tomb  of, 
259. 

Elv  Cathedral,  8,  9;  chapter 
on,  140  ff.;  plan,  162;  archi- 
tectural  summary,   163-166. 

Erasmus,  at  Canterbury  Cathe- 
dral,  43,   44,   69. 

Ernuff,  Prior  and  Bishop,  33- 
34,   58. 

Escomb,  church  at,  4. 

Ethelbert,  King,  25,  26,  31,  54, 
65. 

Etheldreda,  patron  saint  of 
Ely,  142,  147;  shrine  of,  151, 
155. 

Eustace,  Bishop  of  Elv,  151- 
152. 

Exchequer  Gate,  Lincoln,  82. 

Fan-vaulted  Roof,  in  Perpen- 
dicular style  of  architecture, 
18, 

Farrar,  Dean,  grave  of,  Can- 
terbury Cathedral,  42;  tablet 
to,  45. 

Feast  of  Fools,  the,  96. 

Fisher,  Bishop  John,  69. 

Usher,  Cardinal,  65. 

Fitzherbert,  Archbishop  of 
York,  231. 

"Five  Sisters,"  York  Cathedral, 
227-229. 

Flambard,  Bishop  of  Durham, 
119. 


Fleming,  Bishop  of  Lincoln, 
104. 

Flying  buttresses,  20;  Canter- 
bury Cathedral,  28,  29;  Dur- 
ham Cathedral,  121;  West- 
minster Abbey,  257. 

Four-centered  arch,  the,  19. 

France,  development  of  Gothic 
architecture    in,    19-21. 

Freeman,  E.  A.,  quoted,  31, 151. 

Gad's   HilL;,   56. 

Galilee  Chapel,  Durham  Cathe- 
dral,   11,    123-124. 

Galilee  Porch.  Lincoln  Cathe- 
dral, 101 ;  Ely  Cathedral,  150- 
152. 

Geoffrey  de  Noyers,  architect 
of    Lincoln   Cathedral,    87. 

Geometrical  Decorated  Gothic 
architecture,    14-16. 

Glass  in  Lincoln  Cathedral,  93- 
94.     See    Stained    Glass. 

Gordon,  General,  memorial  win- 
dows  and   statue   to,   68. 

Gothic  style  of  architecture. 
Early  English,  12-14;  Geo- 
metrical Decorated,  14-16; 
Curvilinear  Decorated,  16-17; 
Perpendicular,  17-19;  English 
and  French,  contrasted,  19- 
21 ;  Romanesque  architecture 
contrasted  with,  21. 

Great  Peter,  bell  at  York  Ca- 
thedral, 237. 

Green  Court,  Canterbury  Cathe- 
dral,  30. 

Grosseteste,  Robert,  Bishop  of 
Lincoln,  95-97. 

Gundulph,  Bishop,  53,  57-58,  62, 
63,  64,  65. 

Hacket,  Bishop,  211. 
Harbledown   village,   22. 
Hatfield,    Bishop    of    Durham, 

130. 
Headbourne  Worthy  church,  4. 


299 


INDEX 


Head  of  St.  Chad,  Chapel  of 
the,  209. 

Hedda,  Bishop,  196. 

Henrv  II,  Canterbury  pilgrim- 
age of,  23,  37,  38;  Bishop 
Hugh  of  Lincoln  appointed 
by,  85-86. 

Henry  III,  41;  work  of,  in 
connection  with  Westminster 
Abbey,  250-251;  Lady  Chapel 
of,   Westminster   Abljey,   251. 

Henrv  IV,  tomb  of,  Canterbury 
Cathedral,  42. 

Henrv  V,  tomb  of,  Westmin- 
ster Abbey,  259-260. 

Henry  VII,  Chapel  of,  West- 
minster Abbey,  18,  19,  251- 
252,  256,  260-262. 

Henry  VIII,  27,  43-44. 

Herbert,   George,   187. 

Hereward   the   Wake,   143. 

Herman,  Bishop  of  Old  Sarum, 
170. 

Hole,  Dean,  57. 

Hotham,  John,  Bishop  of  Ely, 
156     159. 

Hugh,  Little  St.,  97-98. 

Hugh  of  Avalon,  Bishop  of 
Lincoln,  85-93,   105. 

Hugh  de  Northwold,  Bishop  of 
Ely,  152. 

Hythe,  Bishop  Hamo  de,  67. 

loNA,  monastery  of,  193,  222. 
Isle  of  Ely,  the,  140-141,  142. 

Jarrow,  monastery  and  school 
at,  124,  125. 

Jerusalem  Chamber,  Westmin- 
ster Abbey,  255. 

Jews,  massacre  of,  at  Lincoln, 
97. 

Jew's  House,  Lincoln,  97. 

Jocelin  de  Bohun,  Bishop  of 
Old  Sarum,  171. 

John,  King,  spoliation  of  Roch- 
ester bv,   60-61. 


John  II  of  France  at  Roches- 
ter, 66. 

John  of  Thoresby,  Archbishop 
of  York,  232,  238. 

Johnson,  Samuel,  212;  grave  of, 
in  Westminster  Abbey,  266. 

Jonson,  Ben,  verse  by,  186; 
grave  of,  in  Westminster  Ab- 
bey, 265. 

Joseph  Window,  Durham  Cathe- 
dral,  127. 

King's  College  Chapel,  Cam- 
bridge, 18, 

King's  School,  Canterbury,  30- 
31. 

King's  School,  Ely,  159. 

Kingsley,  Charles,  quoted  in 
connection  with  Ely,  140,  143, 
144-145. 

Kits   Coty   House,   56. 

Lady  Chapel,  Durham  Cathe- 
dral, 122-123;  Ely  Cathedral, 
157-158;  Salisbury  Cathedral, 
181,  182;  Lichfield  Cathedral, 
204-206;  Henry  Ill's,  West- 
minster Abbey,  251 ;  of  Henry 
VII,  Westminster  Abbey, 
251-252. 

Lancet  windows,  13-14;  at  Ely 
Cathedral,  150,  154-155;  at 
Salisbury  Cathedral,  176-177; 
at  Lichfield  Cathedral,  202- 
204;  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
254. 

Lanfranc,  Archbishop,  33,  58, 
63. 

Langton,  Simon,  231. 

Langton,  Stephen,  41 ;  tomb  of, 
Canterbury  Cathedral,  45. 

Langton,  Bishop  Walter  de, 
204. 

Later  Norman  work,  9-10. 

La  Zouche,  Archbishop  of 
York,  232. 

'  Liberties  of  Etheldreda,"  147. 


300 


INDEX 


Library  of  Durham  Cathedral, 
133-i34. 

Lichfield  Cathedral,  113;  chap- 
ter on,  193  S.;  plan,  214; 
architectural  summarv*  MIS- 
SIS. 

Lincoln  Castle,  80-81,  82. 

Lincoln  Cathedral,  10,  12,  15; 
chapter  on,  79  ff. ;  plan,  106; 
architectural  summary,  107- 
110. 

Lincoln  Devil,  the,  102. 

Lindisfarne  monastery,  113  ff., 
193. 

Livingstone,  David,  grave  of,  in 
Westminster   Abbey,   270. 

"Martyrdom,  The,"  transept 
called,  at  Canterbury,  35. 

Melton,  Archbishop  of  York, 
232,  236. 

Merton,  Walter  de,  Bishop  of 
Rochester,  61. 

Miners'  strike,  settled  by  Bish- 
op  Westcott,    135. 

Minor  Canon  Row,  Rochester 
Cathedral,   70. 

Monks'  Door,  Durham  Cathe- 
dral,   132. 

More,  Sir  Thomas,  69. 

Morton,  John,  Bishop  of  Ely, 
159. 

Nave,  the,  6-7. 

Neville  Screen,  Durham  Cathe- 
dral,  129. 

Neville's  Cross,  battle  of,  130, 
232. 

Nine  Altars,  Chapel  of  the, 
Durham   Cathedral,   126-129. 

Norbury,  Bishop  of  Lichfield, 
204. 

Octagon,    Ely    Cathedral,    156- 

157. 
Odo,   Bishop,   55. 
Offa,   King  of  Mercia,   197. 


Ogee  curve  in  Curvilinear  Dec- 
orated  Gothic,   17,   19. 

Old  Sarum,  origins  of  Salisbury 
Cathedral  at,    169-172. 

Osmund,  Bishop  of  Old  Sarum, 
170-171;  tomb  of,  183. 

Oswald,  King  of  Northumbria, 
113-114,  193-194,  222;  skull 
of,   129. 

Our  Lady,  Chapel  of,  West- 
minster Abbey,  250. 

Pandulph,  papal  legate,  41. 

Parker,  Archbishop,  131. 

Parry,  Mr.,  157. 

Paulinus,  Bishop  of  Rochester, 
53,  54,  66. 

Paulinus,  Bishop  of  York,  80, 
231-222. 

Peart,  Original,  Mayor  of  Lin- 
coln, 100. 

Peckham,  Archbishop,  44. 

Pembroke,  tombs  of  Earls  of, 
Salisbury,  186. 

Penda,  King  of  Mercia,  113, 
193-194. 

Perpendicular  Gothic  architec- 
ture, 17-19. 

Pier  arcade,  the,  7. 

Plate   tracery,    14. 

Poets'  Corner,  Westminster  Ab- 
bey, 265-267. 

Pointed  arch,  the,  10,  11;  in 
Early  English  Gothic,  13-14; 
first  appearance  of,  in  nave 
vault  of  Durham,  120-121. 

Pole,  Cardinal,  tomb  of,  Can- 
terbury Cathedral,  42. 

Poore,   Bishop   Richard  le,  126. 

Poore,  Bishop  of  Salisbury, 
171-172,   181. 

Prebends'  Bridge,  Durham  Ca- 
thedral, 134. 

Prior's  Gateway,  Rochester  Ca- 
thedral,   69,   70,   71. 

Pudsev,  Husrh,  Bishop  of  Dur- 
ham",   121-122,   125. 


301 


INDEX 


Pugin,  architect,  at  Ely  Cathe- 
dral, 158. 

Recessed  Arches,  10. 
Remigius,  Bishop,  81,  83;  font 

of,  95. 
Richard,  Abbot  of  Ely,   147. 
Richard,    Archbishop    of    Can- 
terbury, 226,  255. 
Ridell,  Bishop  of  Ely,  148. 
Ridley,     Nicholas,     Bishop     of 

Rochester  and  of  London,  69- 

70. 
Ripon  Cathedral,  94. 
Rochester  Castle,  55,  57-58,  60. 
Rochester     Cathedral,     10,     34; 

chapter  on,  53   ff. ;   plan,  74; 

architectural     summary,     75- 

78. 
Roger,    Bishop   at   Old   Sarum, 

170,   171. 
Roger    de    Clinton,    Bishop    of 

Lichfield,    198-199. 
Roger,     Archbishop     of     York, 

226,  231,  255. 
Roman  camp,  York,  219. 
Romanesque  architecture,  4  ff. ; 

immaturity  of,  21. 
Roman    walls,    Lincoln,    79. 
Romeyn,    John,    Archbishop    of 

York,  233,  236-237. 
Roof  of  Norman  churches,  7. 
Rose  window,  Lincoln,  236. 
Ruskin,  John,  quoted,  105. 

Sacheverel,  Dr.,  212. 

St.  Anselm's  Chapel,  Canter- 
bury Cathedral,  29,  34,  42. 

St.  Catharine's  Chapel,  Ely, 
149-150. 

St.  Chad,  195-196;  shrine  of, 
208,   209. 

St.   Chad's   Gospels,   308-209. 

St.  Cuthbert,  shrine  of,  Dur- 
ham  Cathedral,   128. 

St.  George,  chapel  of,  Windsor, 
18. 


St.  Martin,  church  of,  Canter- 
bury,  25. 

St.  Mary,  church  of,  at  Stow, 
80. 

St.  Pancras,  church  of,  Canter- 
bury,  26,  27. 

St.  Peter,  legend  of,  connected 
with  Westminster  Abbey,  246. 

St.  Peter's  Grammar  School, 
York,  225. 

St.  Stephen's  Church,  Caen,  63. 

Salisbury  Cathedral,  83,  87,  90, 
94,  126;  chapter  on,  167  ff.; 
plan,  188;  architectural  sum- 
mary, 189-192. 

Saxon  churches,  1,  2,  3,  4. 

Scott,  Dean,  memorial  to,  Roch- 
ester Cathedral,  65. 

Scott,  Sir  Gilbert,  213. 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  quoted,  128, 
134. 

Screen  work,  stone,  in  Canter- 
bury Cathedral,  40. 

Scrope,  Richard,  Archbishop  of 
York,    233. 

Sebert,  tomb  of,  Westminster 
Abbey,  245. 

Shakespeare  monument,  West- 
minster Abbey,  266. 

Simeon,  Abbot  of  Ely,  146-147. 

Simon   de  Montfort,  55,  61. 

Sleeping  Children,  monument 
of  the,    Lichfield,   209. 

Spenser,  Edmund,  grave  of, 
Westminster   Abbey,   265. 

Spire  of  Salisbury  Cathedral, 
177-179. 

Spires  of  Lichfield  Cathedral, 
199. 

Stained  glass,  Lincoln  Cathe- 
dral, 93-94;  at  Salisbury, 
184;  at  Lichfield  Cathedral, 
204-206;  at  York  Cathedral, 
228,  238,  239. 

Stanley,  Dean,  quoted,  266,  268, 
270;  memorial  windows  to,  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  269. 


302 


INDEX 


Statesmen's  Transept,  West- 
minster Abbey,  267. 

Stephen,  King,  at  Lincoln,  81- 
82. 

Stonehenge,  167-168. 

Stone  of  Scone,  the,  258. 

Swineherd  of  Stow,  statue  of, 
Lincoln  Cathedral,  102. 

Temple,  Archbishop,  statue 
of,  Canterbury  Cathedral,  42. 

Tennyson,  statue  of,  at  Lin- 
coln,  105. 

Thomas  a  Becket,  23,  31-32; 
account  of  murder  and  can- 
onization of,  34-37;  shrine  of, 
41-42,  43-44. 

Thomas  of  Bayeux,  Archbishop 
of  York,  225. 

Thurstan,    Abbot   of    Ely,    143. 

Tower,  fall  of,  at  Ely,   156. 

Transepts,  8. 

Transitional  period  in  cathe- 
dral architecture,  10-12. 

Triforium,  the,  7. 

Trinity  Chapel,  Canterbury  Ca- 
thedral, 40. 

Tudor  rose  used  in  Perpendicu- 
lar Gothic  style  of  architec- 
ture,  19. 

Tunstall,  Cuthbert,  Bishop  of 
Durham,    131. 

Tyler,  Wat,  55. 

Van  Mildert,  Bishop  of  Dur- 
ham, 133. 

Victoria  Tower,  Westminster 
Abbey,  101. 

Violette  ornaments,   13. 

Viollet  le  Due,  E.  E.,  cited,  88. 

Walcher,   Bishop   of   Durham, 

117. 
Walter,    Hubert,    coffin    of,    in 

Canterbury  Cathedral,  43. 
Walter    de    Gray,     Archbishop 

of  York,  227,  230-231. 


Warham,  Archbishop,  44. 

Warrior's  Chapel,  Canterbury 
Cathedral,  45. 

Watching  Chambers,  Durham 
Cathedral,   132. 

Watts,  Isaac,  tablet  to,  in 
Westminster   Abbey,   269. 

Wesleys,  memorial  to,  in  West- 
minster Abbey,  269. 

Westcott,  Bishop  of  Durham, 
135. 

West   Gate,   Canterbury,   24. 

Westminster  Abbey,  f,  8,  15, 
18,  20,  29,  86,  94,  181-182, 
200;  chapter  on,  245  ff.;  plan, 
272;  architectural  summary, 
273-276. 

Wheel  of  fortune,  fresco  of, 
Rochester  Cathedral,  66. 

Whitby,  Council  of,  195,  223. 

Wlclif,   John,   47,    104. 

Wilfred,  Bishop  of  York,  223- 
234. 

William  de  Corbeuil,  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  56. 

William  of  Perth,  patron  of 
Rochester    Cathedral,    60. 

William  Rufus,  55. 

William  of  St.  Carileph,  builder 
of  Durham  Cathedral,  118- 
119. 

William  of  Sens,  architect,  39. 

William  the  Conqueror,  corona- 
tion of,  in  Westminster  Ab- 
bey, 248-249. 

Winchester  Cathedral,   3,  9. 

Windows,  Rochester  Cathedral, 
67;  Lincoln  Cathedral,  93-95, 
103-104;  Salisbury  Cathedral, 
184;  Lichfield  Cathedral,  202; 
York  Cathedral,  227-229,  235- 
236,  238,  239;  Westminster 
Abbey,  256. 

Winwoed,  battle  of,   194. 

Wren,  Sir  Christopher,  work 
of,  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
253. 


303 


INDEX 

Wyatt,     "the     restorer,"     133;  York,   Alcuin's   school   at,    125. 

work    of,    at    Salisbury,    184-  York  Cathedral,  10,94;  chapter 

185;     Roman    cement    intro-  on,  319   flF. ;  plan,  240;  archi- 

duced  by,  213.  tectural  summary,  241-244. 


304 


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